Strange Relations
by Speedy21
Summary: Freddie finds his life change drastically when he learns he has a half-sister living in Los Angeles. Finding life in Seattle to be unbearable, he moves to L.A. and begins attending Hollywood Arts High School where he hopes to be able to get to know his sibling and create a new life for himself. Established Parings: [Beck and Jade]. Future Pairings: [Freddie and Tori]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Main Stairwell_

Freddie clutched his blue bag tight as he stared at the performing arts high school. Just from the exterior of the building it looked nothing like Ridgeway. He swallowed his apprehension as he took a step inside. He let his eyes gaze around the school taking in the unique lockers.

"Make it shine." He read out, before he heard someone clear their throat. The boy turned to see a older man looking at him curiously.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, as he questioned where he had seen the familiar face before.

"Uh, yeah... That would be nice actually." Freddie noted, scratching the back of his neck. "I am actually here for an audition to... You know join Hollywood Arts."

"Wait, Freddie Benson?" He exclaimed surprised recognizing the face of the iCarly technical producer. "Wow, I wasn't sure when I read the audition list that it was really you. I'm Lane by the way." He introduced, offering his hand. Freddie let out a nervous smile as he shook his hand.

"So what brings you to L.A.?" Lane asked curiously.

Freddie frowned slightly before responding with a guarded tone, "That is kind of a long story and one I really don't want to get into right now." The guidance counsellor narrowed his gaze at the boy as he tried to read his face, but Freddie kept a blank expression as best as he could.

"Well your audition doesn't start for another twenty minutes," Lane noted, glancing at his clipboard. "However, one of the other students called and said they were unable to make their audition due to illness, so you can go right now if you want?"

The boy goes out a breath as he slowly nodded and choked out, "Sure." Lane smiled and gestured for the boy to follow him.

Hollywood Arts High School - Black Box Theatre

"So Mr. Benson, what do you feel you can bring to Hollywood Arts?" An odd looking man questioned.

Freddie looked down and noticed him barefooted before looking up and staring at the trio of adults eyeing him from the table in front of the stage.

"Well I am... was the technical producer for iCarly. I used to create all the special effects and help plan skits with Carly and Sam." He explained, "I never was on camera much, but I am hoping to be able to get a chance to do that more if I get in. So even though I am fairly inexperienced when it comes to acting, I still think I can learn to become much better."

The three judges all wore impassive looks as one scribbled down a quick note.

"So what will you be doing for your audition today?" The balding man asked.

"Well sir- Sikowitz." The man corrected.

"Right well Sikowitz, I am going to be performing a skit I made. I never had a chance to show it on iCarly, but hopefully you find it good."

Sikowitz let out a small smile as he remembered "The Bird Scene" that he used on new students to help them learn to become more confident in their work. The boy glanced nervously at the judges before performing the skit. Freddie felt goosebumps on his arms as he went through the scene trying to act with confidence and use a tone different than his normal one

"Well Freddie, we will give you a call most likely by tonight with an answer." Lane explained as he walked the boy out.

 _Benson Hotel Room_

Freddie paced around nervously as he stared at his phone sitting on the coffee table. It was 8:00 P.M. and he was yet to receive a call. He began to question whether or not coming here was such a wise idea after all. Back in Seattle he was doing great in school and he wasn't sure if he was cut out to fit in Hollywood Arts should he be accepted. He pulled out his wallet and looked at the picture of a girl which reassured him the reason for his sudden departure was worth the trouble. It never crossed his mind of the possibility that he could have a sister or let alone a sibling, but in the weird life of Freddie Benson the weird and impossible seemed to be becoming the norm for him. Besides, it wasn't like he had anything left in Seattle any ways. The girl he loved completely ignored him while her best friend made it her life's goal to torment him. Maybe a fresh start was what he really needed.

The Galaxy Wars ringtone brought him out of his thoughts as he set the photo down and hurriedly picked up and answer.

"Hello."

"Freddie." A voice that was all to familiar rang through his ears. Carly Shay. She was probably worried about where he was, but he knew that her concern hovered more towards him missing the show. With him leaving Seattle out of the blue he had left them with no technical producer. A part of him felt bad for doing so, but another part of him felt a sense of happiness that he was able to do something for himself for once and not have to put the show or his friends lives before him. It may have been lost on his family and friends back home, but he wasn't happy in Seattle. When arriving in L.A., he felt a sense of freedom that he had quite never experienced before. With his overbearing mother who barely give him an allowance with the fear of him leaving and his two apparent friends that cared more about each other and the show than him, he never got to do what he wanted in life.

"Hello? Freddie are you there?" Carly asked pulling him from his thoughts.

"Yeah, but I can't really talk right now. It's not a good time." He replied, hoping to get out of telling them where he was right now.

"Where are you? We go live in 10 minutes!" Freddie felt a wave of anger crash over him. His love stopped him from believing it before, but now the prospect stuck out like a sore thumb that Carly cared more about the show then she did about him. He let out a dark chuckle as he remembered when Carly forced him to apologize to Fred so it wouldn't hurt her web show. He remembered her being fine with letting Sam beat an apology out of him.

"I am not coming." He noted, "Now as I said before I can't talk right now so bye." He cut the call before the brunette had a chance to respond. Freddie was about to place his phone down before it began to ring again.

"Hello." He answered, making sure to check the caller ID this time around figuring it might have been Carly trying again.

"Mr. Benson, on behalf of Hollywood Arts we would like to inform you that you have been accepted into our school."

"Thank you." Freddie noted a bit surprised. It seemed a bit surreal, but he was actually on the verge of starting a new life. He felt a new-found sense of independence and the feeling that maybe he had a chance to finally be in control of his life. There was just one more thing he needed to take care of as he glanced back down at the photo sitting on his coffee table. He chatted with the woman on the other end for a few more minutes as she explained the variety of activities the school offered and how he would be required to know how to play an instrument. The called ended shortly as Freddie let out a small smile. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

The rest of the days before school started flew by as Freddie managed to find himself busy getting a job at the local Pear Store. He still lived in his hotel room, but he was looking at the prospect of finding if anyone needed a room-mate, maybe even someone he would meet at school. Of course Carly had called several times which he ignored along with his mother who told him not to do what he planned on doing. Freddie knew his mother hated him finding out about his half-sister, but she knew it was only inevitable given his curiosity about his father's whereabouts that stretched back to when he was young.

He had checked in on the iCarly website periodically and was surprised to see a new webcast posted on the site. He figured, Carly charmed her way into getting someone like Brad to takeover. At first he had ignored seeing the show without him, but a part of him wanted to see how it was. Curiosity finally got the better of him as he loaded up the website and played the video.

 _"Hello people from this universe and those beyond." Carly introduced excitedly._

 _"I'm Sam"_

 _"And I'm Carly."_

 _"And this is -"_

 _"The new and improved" Sam added,_ much to Freddie's anger _._

 _"iCarly!" They both exclaimed._

The rest of the webisode went like usual with them performing the usual skits and Gibby doing his unusual antics.

 _"And remember if it ain't ham, it ain't real food." Sam concluded as Carly rolled her eyes and giggled,_

 _"That's it for now. Until next time." Carly waved into the camera as the broadcast ended._

Freddie shook his head as he saw them act like he never existed. It donned on him just how replaceable they viewed him to be. It made him wonder why he never thought about getting out of Seattle faster and what the younger version of him was thinking following Carly around like a lovestruck moron. He shut his laptop screen down and placed it on the night stand next to his bed. The boy laid down as he simply looked up at the ceiling hoping that things would go well tomorrow.

 _Hollywood Arts High School - First Day_

The boy clutched his bag tightly as he stared at the Arts students walking around. A wave of loneliness crashed upon him as he realized that he was the odd man out. Another thought that bugged him was the looks he was getting from his new peers. They were all probably wondering what on Earth iCarly's own Freddie Benson was doing here and without Carly and Sam. Obviously, they didn't know someone had taken over his position on the show as he was never introduced or given any screen time.

He blocked the curious glances out as he made his way inside. He leaned on a locker as he glanced down at his schedule trying to figure out his first class.

"First day?" He heard a voice ask. Freddie glanced up to see an attractive brunette looking at him curiously. She stared at him similar to how Lane did before her face lit up with excitement, "Oh my god, Freddie Benson!"

"That's me." He declared, glancing around hoping her outburst didn't cause any more unwanted attention.

"Sorry, didn't mean to shout or anything it's just... I never expected you to be here. Shouldn't you be in Seattle with Carly and Sam?" Freddie clenched his jaw as he realized that people saw him as an accessory to the two web hostesses.

"No, I actually moved here to L.A." He explained, giving her a look that he was trying to avoid going into detail for his departure from Seattle.

The half Latina understood his look and held back her curiosity out of respect before noting, "Well anyway, I'm Tori. I think in all my excitement I forgot to mention that bit."

Freddie chuckled, "It's okay, it's nice to meet you Tori although I am fairly certain we have met before with you being under a different alias."

The girl's eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she wondered what he meant.

"It's just you kind of look like... Or maybe it's just me." He dismissed, before glancing back at his schedule. "I was actually just trying to figure out where my class was. This isn't exactly your regular high school." The brunette laughed as she too remembered how it was when she first came to Hollywood Arts. She glanced down at the boy's schedule before telling him with excitement, "Hey we both have Sikowitz's class first. You know I was just heading there if you wanted to come."

"That would be nice, thank you." Freddie accepted graciously. The pair walked to class as Freddie stared in awe at just how unique this school was. He saw kids fake sword fighting in one class and another playing the trumpet as if it was second nature for her. It all seemed so... different than what he was accustomed to.

"Tori... And Freddie!" Sikowitz noted excitedly as he saw the pair walk into his class, "Nice to see you two."

"Hey Sikowitz." Tori replied casually taking a seat as Freddie gave a polite nod as he looked around the class to find an empty spot. He saw Tori pat the seat beside her and he smiled before taking a seat beside the brunette. The rest of the students began filing in as Freddie could see the intrigued and excited look on his classmates faces as they saw him.

"I guess you're kind of famous here." Tori whispered to him. The boy simply blew out a small breath as he hoped the news of his arrival would fade away like any school gossip eventually did. Freddie watched as two boys, one holding a doll, along with a smiling girl that had red hair walked into the class.

"Hey Tori!" The girl greeted excitedly while the other two boys followed suit. Their eyes soon rested on the face of the technical producer as he gave a polite smile.

"No way!" Cat exclaimed with excitement similar to Tori previously, "You're Freddie from iCarly."

"Hey man I love all the cool effects you do!" Robbie complimented.

"Thanks uh... Robbie." The glasses wearing boy supplied, "This is Cat and André." Freddie smiled and gave a nod to the pair as they took their seats behind Tori and Freddie. The boy continued to exchange in friendly conversation with the group, but would become evasive when they asked why he was in L.A. Luckily, Tori would cover for him by changing the discussion, something he reminded himself to thank her for.

"Alright settle down children." Sikowitz exclaimed, "Now welcome back to school or prison as some of you select few like to title it." A couple of students chuckled before the unique teacher continued, "Now as I was saying... What was I saying?" The teacher began to talk to himself as Freddie looked to Tori with a confused look. She simply shrugged her shoulders and explained that it was nothing new.

Sikowitz snapped his fingers in remembrance but as soon as he was about to talk the door busted open and in came two teens. Freddie turned and gasped slightly as he saw the person that fit the photo, something that wasn't lost on Tori.

"Beck, Jade." The teacher called out, "You're both late."

"Yeah sorry about that." Beck noted before explaining, "Jade wanted to stop by Jet Brew and grab some coffee and there was this big line and-"

"Say no more." Sikowitz interrupted, knowing all too like well like everyone else just how much Jade valued her coffee in the morning. The pair nodded as they took the two empty seats next to Tori and Freddie. The boy took in a breath as Jade sat beside him. He couldn't believe it at first, but it was true. From his research online he knew she went to the school, but he was kind of hoping not to run into her this quickly. Jade noticed the boy staring at him and he quickly looked away trying to keep his attention towards the front of the class. She simply snorted out a laugh thinking he was afraid of her.

"Hey aren't you Freddie from iCarly?" Beck stated, wearing an intrigued look.

"Yup." He admitted dully, having heard the same remark repeatedly today. Jade arched her pierced brow and was about to ask what he was doing here like everyone else had before her, but was interrupted by Sikowitz.

"Alright now instead of going through all the boring policies and rules and whatnot, how about we do a little bit of an improv warm up to get you guys going. You see acting is all about being able to become one with any character at any given circumstance. You should be able to go from an astronaut to an old person walking on glass with the snap of a finger. With that being said, I'd like two volunteers to come up and perform." The teacher looked around hoping for a swarm of hands volunteering, but sighed when he saw nothing. He stared at the former member of iCarly and grinned, "Freddie how about you?"

All eyes turned towards the boy as he tried to sink in his seat. He looked at Tori who gave him an encouraging glance as he cautiously got out of his chair and made his way to the front of the class. He saw the whispers bring exchanged by some of his classmates as he looked at all the eyes upon him.

"Okay we need one more." The eccentric teacher called out. His eyes turned towards the pale brunette, "Jade since you were late, how about you come up as well?" The pale girl rolled her eyes as she handed Beck her coffee and made her way up to stand on stage with Freddie. The girl glanced at the boy who avoided eye contact with her before looking at Sikowitz awaiting instructions.

"Excellent now what is their relationship?" The teacher asked the class.

"Brother and sister." Robbie suggested, as Freddie's eyes slightly bulged as he looked on.

"And what is the issue they are faced with?"

"Freddie has been keeping a secret from Jade." Cat added on.

"Sounds good. Freddie, Jade is your sister and you've been keeping a secret from her. Everybody ready?" Jade gave a nod and Freddie blew out a breath to try to ease his nerves from the irony that he was faced with.

"Alright and... ACTION!" Sikowitz called, staring intently at the duo.

The brunette boy eyed the class before looking at the girl in front of him. He took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Hey sis."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey everyone. So before we go on with the chapter I thought I would explain something. In this 'universe' I guess you can call it, the iParty with Victorious episode has not occurred, thus the reason why the group only knows Freddie from iCarly. Also there is going to be some alterations when it comes to Jade and Freddie's father which you'll notice in the coming chapters. Just thought I would clear that up to avoid any possible confusion. With that being said I hope you enjoy this next chapter.  
**

Chapter Two:

 _Hollywood Arts - Asphalt Café_

"So Freddie," André spoke as the group all sat and ate their lunch, "How are you enjoying L.A. so far?"

The brunette boy looked up and swallowed the food he was chewing, "It's all still kind of new for me to be honest. I mean I've only really been here for a week or so. After getting a job at the Pear Store I didn't really have time to explore the place."

"I could give you a tour this weekend if you want. Oh maybe we could all hit the beach as well." Tori suggested, before popping a fry into her mouth. The group seemed to like the idea of a beach day aside from Jade who snorted out a sarcastic laugh.

"Yeah and get trapped in Beck's RV again or get sunburn. You can count me out Vega." The pale girl noted, leaning back a little. Tori shook her head remembering being trapped in the RV for what seemed like days, but was only mere hours.

"We don't need her anyway." Rex pointed out, as Jade glared at the puppet, "Whoa chill out Goth girl only joking." Freddie frowned a little as he looked to Beck who seemed to not mind the comment, but instead the long haired boy looked at his girlfriend.

"Come on Jade." Beck said, trying to convince his girlfriend, "It would be nice." The girl groaned and rolled her eyes which Beck knew meant that she would consider it. The pale girl turned her attention to the former iCarly member who had been silent.

"So what do you think Freddie?" The green streaked girl asked. Freddie glanced up and looked at his half-sister before shrugging his shoulders.

"I think it would be cool. It can give me a chance to get to know you all a little bit better." The former technical producer explained. Jade noted he made direct contact when he said 'get to know you'. It was the same look he gave her when he first saw her too. The girl realized that the look wasn't one of fear, but rather one of apprehension and slight determination. She placed a mental note in her head to find out what it was that was on his mind and what exactly it had to do with her.

"Besides," Freddie said, pulling Jade out of her theory, "I do have some pretty killer sunscreen we could use. One of the perks of having a crazy mom I guess." The group chuckled as even Jade couldn't help but let out the smallest of laughs.

"So it's settled then." Tori exclaimed, happily.

"Woohoo! Beach Day!" The red haired girl cheered excitedly. The group took the rest of the lunch period to continue eating their lunch while exchanging in casual conversation amongst each other. Freddie leaned back as he saw the group converse and wore a small smile on his face. He was beginning to think that this was sign of positive things to come in the future. A chance to have real friends that would respect him for who he was and not judge him for it. He was brought out of his thoughts as the bell rang. The group got up as they gathered up their trash.

"You ready to roll?" André asked Freddie. The brunette boy nodded and dumped his trash in the bin as the pair made their way towards their science class.

The rest of the day went just fine for the Seattle boy as he managed to get along with others without them questions why he was here. He figured he would eventually have to tell them, but today was not going to be that day. Aside from that he managed to join the AV club with the members being happy to have a chance to pick the brain of someone like him, some even wanting him to run the club. Sinjin, the leader of the club, frowned at the comments made, but Freddie assured him that this was his club and whereas he was simply just a member. The pair seemed to get along well as they discussed the various techniques they used when filming, both learning more from each other.

After school, Beck offered him to come grab a burger with him and André, something he gladly accepted. It was a unique experience for the boy as he wasn't used to hanging out with guys, being stuck with Carly and Sam for so long.

André told him of a gym that Beck and him went to and said that he should join them in their journey 'into manhood' as he jokingly phrased it.

"I'd say he is already past that point." Beck exclaimed, staring at the muscular teen sitting in front of him, "It must have taken some time to get that strong."

"Yeah, rehab was good to me I guess." The boy noted casually, rotating his right wrist in memory of the accident.

"Rehab?"

Freddie took a sip of his drink and nodded, "Yeah, let's just say me and taco trucks don't really get along." Beck and André looked at each other confused as Freddie chuckled and explained, "We were out filming for iCarly and we were going to cross the street. A taco truck ran a red and was coming straight for Carly. I did what any friend would do and pushed her out of the way to take the hit. I messed up my left leg and right forearm pretty bad, but it didn't matter because Carly was safe. Nothing a few screws couldn't fix."

"So you're kind of like a hero to her." André noted, as if it was the most obvious thing. Freddie frowned remembering when Sam told him that Carly was only dating him because of hero worship. Initially he thought that Sam was just trying to avoid being the third wheel, but he hated to admit that she was right. He let Carly go telling her he would be waiting for when it wore off, but instead she started dating other guys. That kind of rejection still stung even now when he was hundreds of miles away.

"I never considered myself to be one." Freddie noted, glumly.

"Come on! You saved her and risked your life to do so. I don't think just any friend would be willing to do that." Beck replied, trying to put some pieces of the puzzle together for the boy's life before moving to L.A.

"Well I guess it doesn't matter now anyway." The brunette boy answered evasively. The two teens realized he wanted to end the conversation and switched back to talking about the first day of school and other random things. Eventually, Freddie left the pair as he wanted to go back to his hotel to rest before his shift he had later that day at the Pear Store. He thanked Beck for inviting him before exchanging goodbyes and leaving. Beck and André watched him leave before looking at each other.

"I think there is more to the story than he is letting on." Beck whispered as if Freddie could somehow hear, "It just doesn't make sense."

The song-smith nodded his head in agreement as he shrugged, "Maybe we'll find out someday, but for now I just hope he starts working on fixing whatever it is that seems to be bothering him." The long haired boy nodded back as he finished off the rest of his drink before the pair exited the fast food joint.

 _Benson Hotel Room  
_

The boy pulled out his keys from his pocket as he unlocked his hotel room door. He walked inside and shut and locked the door behind him as he placed his bag on the floor and dropped onto the nearby couch. He stretched his arms as he booted up his laptop and logged onto The Slap. He was told by Cat to join the site as it was a quicker way to get news and messages from other Hollywood Arts students. The boy pondered what to say for a moment before posting a message,

Freddie Benson:

Fun first day at Hollywood Arts. Met some really cool people.

Feeling: Hopeful

A minute later he received a notification. He clicked on it and it opened up the message.

Cat Valentine:

WELCOME TO THE SLAP FREDDIE! I AM NOT YELLING, MY CAPS IS JUST STUCK!

The boy chuckled amused before replying to the post.

Freddie Benson:

Thanks Cat! Try tapping your caps lock key again. :)

Cat Valentine:

Ooooooh! Thanks Freddie!

He smiled as he could just imagine the excitement on the red haired girl's face. Unsure of what to do next, the brunette boy decided to waste some time online gaming before he would have to get ready for work. Freddie was so into the game that when a video chat request popped up on his screen he was startled. After regaining his composure, he read the name and was a bit curious as to whether he should accept the request or not. The boy finally decided to accept the request and the screen changed to show the man child that was Spencer Shay.

"Hey Freddo!" Spencer greeted enthusiastically, a bit surprised he was able to reach him.

Freddie cracked a small smile at the nickname, "Hey Spencer! What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just the usual, Sam trying to eat all our food and Gibby being well... Gibby." The artist replied, casually glancing back at the front door, "But who cares about me. How are you doing? You kind of just left out of the blue."

"I'm doing fine." He answered cautiously. The boy's smile faltered as he realized that Spencer was trying to get information out of him. A thought crossed his mind as he asked with annoyance laced to his tone, "Did Carly tell you to find out where I am?"

Spencer raised his hands in defense, "No, she isn't here right now which is why I am doing this." Freddie analyzed the man's face trying to detect if he was lying, but when he found nothing he simply nodded, "Look Freddie, it's about Carly. I don't know.. it's just something is wrong. Ever since you left she just hasn't been the same goofy little sister that I know."

The brunette boy pondered for a moment how to respond to Spencer's statement. From what he saw on iCarly it looked like she was fine without him there. He figured it was probably just another 'pretty boy' that broke her heart like the ones before.

"Have you tried talking to her?"

The artist nodded and sighed, "Yeah, she keeps brushing it off and says she's fine. I heard that she has tried contacting you since you left, but you've ignored her calls."

"Maybe I don't want to talk to her."

"But why-"

"Why?" Freddie raised his voice, the anger seeping in a little. He took a deep breath to control himself before responding, "Maybe it's because I realized that we aren't really the close friends I thought we were. After all it shouldn't be a problem to her considering how easily replaceable I am judging by the webisode after I left. They acted like I never existed."

"Do you know she locked herself in her room after that and cried?" Spencer questioned, a little frustrated.

"Do you know she stood there countless times and watched Sam use me as a physical and verbal punching bag over and over again?" He retorted. Spencer bowed his head in slight embarrassment as he had been a witness to a couple of those accounts. The former tech producer continued, "I loved your sister Spencer. Even if she didn't love me that way it was fine, but she couldn't even love me as a friend. Would you be fine if Sam used Carly as a punching bag while I stood there?"

The artist opened his mouth to respond, but shut it as he realized Freddie's point. He nodded his head and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"That's not your line." Freddie noted, "Look, even if you watched me being physically and verbally hurt by Sam, you were still the only one that would listen when I needed someone to. I know you're not a bad guy and are trying to help Carly, but this isn't your fight. This is between Carly and I."

"So why leave now?" Spencer asked, blowing out a defeated breath as he adjusted himself on the stool.

"Let's just say there was another reason I decided to leave Seattle and end off at that okay." Freddie answered, glancing at his watch. He groaned before looking back at the artist, "Look I got to go Spencer."

"I understand." Spencer replied disappointed, "But Freddie look. I know things are rough right now with the three of you, but if you ever need someone to talk to I'll be here."

Freddie cracked a small smile, "Thank you Spencer. Talk to you later." The artist waved as Freddie disconnected the video chat. He leaned back and sighed. So maybe Carly did miss him more than she let on. Freddie, however would not be pressured into making contact to try and make amends. For far too long he had been keeping their friendship intact and now it was up to the web hostess to make the first move that he always seemed to make in the past. The boy decided to leave it at that as he began to get dressed for work. He grabbed his cellphone and hotel keys before leaving the room.

 _Shay Residence_

 _"We are expecting a severe thunderstorm later on in the day, so we suggest you carry an umbrella and try to stay indoors if possible."_

Spencer shut off the TV as he sat on the couch anxiously awaiting the arrival of Carly, Sam, and Brad as they were having a rehearsal for an upcoming webisode. He couldn't help but feel a little weird considering Brad as the technical producer, but he figured he would have to get used to it considering Freddie wanted nothing to do with the show any more. It donned on him just how quickly things seemed to change. One day, the trio and him are sitting at the kitchen table eating spaghetti tacos and laughing, but now everything changed. A turn of the front door grabbed the artist's attention as he saw the trio walk in carrying smoothies.

"Hey Spencer." Carly greeted, walking inside as Sam and Brad walked in from behind.

"Hey kiddo." Spencer replied, trying to remain as casual as possible. His little sister handed him a smoothie she purchased for him and took a seat on the couch. Brad took a seat on one of the island stools as Sam decided to raid the fridge in search of ham. The group just sipped on their drinks not really saying much as Sam returned with a slice of meat in her hand.

"So..." The artist started, not really sure what to say, "How was school?"

"Good." The brunette replied awkwardly, feeling that Spencer was acting strange.

"Awesome."

"Hey Carly." Brad noted, breaking the awkward stare between the two siblings, something they were both thankful for, "We really should start rehearsing for the show. I need to make sure that our special effects are working properly."

"You two go, I'll be up there in a minute." She noted. Sam and Brad looked at her for a moment before they understood that she wanted to talk to Spencer alone. The pair walked upstairs as Carly looked back at her brother sitting on the other side of the couch.

"Okay, spill." She exclaimed.

The artist scratched the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what to say, "So how you are doing?"

His sister laughed, "I told you, I'm doing fine. Why do you keep asking that?" Spencer closed his eyes and blew out a breath as he realized that Carly was hiding how she felt. It never happened before and the thought of her doing so now worried him.

"So have you tried talking to Freddie again?" He asked, noting her face fall in sadness before she looked back up mustering a black expression.

"No... all he does is ignore my calls."

"Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you." The artist responded provoking a cold stare from his sister, "Look I just mean that maybe you should just give him some time. You guys have been through a lot and he is still trying to process everything that happened."

The web hostess arched her brow, "How do you know he is still processing everything?" Her eyes went wide as she realized, "You talked to him didn't you?" Spencer clenched his jaw, not wanting to answer her question and breaking Freddie's trust that Carly wouldn't know.

"So it's true." She exclaimed, "Where is he?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me."

"Well there must be a way to find him!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He half-asked and pleaded, "If he doesn't want to talk to you over the phone do you really think tracking him down and trying to talk to him in person is going to produce a better result?"

"Maybe not, but it is a risk I am going to take." The brunette stated, determined to bring Freddie back home. The look she gave Spencer meant that the topic was no longer up for debate. Satisfied with her plan, Carly made her way upstairs to start rehearsing for the show. The artist smacked his forehead as he realized he inadvertently made things more worse. He sent Freddie a quick text to warn him about her plan as he awaited the storm that was to come literally and figuratively.

 **AN: And that's the end of the chapter! Thank you all for reading. The coming chapters will begin to focus more on the relationship between Freddie and Jade as well as Freddie and Tori. Be sure to leave a review with any comments or feedback you may have and I will respond in the following chapter.  
**

 **OneHorseShay: Thank you for your review. Being a fan of your work I always liked the idea of Freddie and Jade, however I wanted to put a spin on it rather than just a romance. The idea of them being half-siblings really lets me explore a different and unique kind of relationship between the two characters.**

 **Xemtlenc: Thank you for your review. The problem with that is Jade believes he was simply acting out his role. Freddie is going to have to get to know her a little bit before telling her, something you will see in the chapters to come.**

 **Thank you all again and stay tuned.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

 _Hollywood Arts High School_

The first week was coming to a close as Freddie stepped into the school on Friday. He walked towards his locker and opened the lock as he placed some of his books inside. The school had a rare moment of silence right now that he found to be quite soothing. Not to be to be taken the wrong way as he loved the vibrant atmosphere unlike the unbelievably dull Ridgeway, but he did miss those days back in Seattle when he was able to get to his locker early in the morning before the chatter of students along with the clicks and squeaks of shoes and heels replaced the calm in the air. The boy let out a small smile as he soaked in the quiet as he gently closed his locker and closed his eyes for a moment.

"You're looking awfully relaxed." He heard a voice say. The boy opened up his eyes to see Tori smiling amused.

He smiled back as he noted, "It just feels good to have a moment of calm after the past few weeks. I feel like I am slowly starting to get settled in here."

"That's good Freddie. I'm happy for you." The girl stated, genuinely. The boy cracked a small grin in return before the sound of a notification drew Tori's attention to her device. Her eyebrows furrowed as she read the text.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern laced to his voice. The brunette simply shook her head as she placed her phone back in her topic.

"It's just Trina she just... Never mind I don't think you would want to know. Girl things." Freddie nodded in understanding, slightly happy that he didn't have hear about it. With Carly and Sam they would have "girl only" conversations right in front him, some that would leave him quite confused and a bit disturbed, but more so from Sam's side of the conversation. His face fell a little as he remembered Spencer had sent him a text a couple days ago saying that Carly was looking for him and the boy knew that would be nothing but trouble. They hadn't found him yet, but Freddie knew the reunion was inevitable.

"Can't she just leave me alone." He mumbled, loud enough for Tori to hear.

"Who?" The boy looked to Tori who wore a confused look.

He sighed as he noted, "Carly. She is trying to find me and probably try to manipulate me to come back and be her love sick puppy again."

The songstress raised her eyebrow not used to hearing the web hostess being talked about in that manner, "So why don't you just tell her to leave you alone?"

The boy chuckled darkly, "Oh believe me I tried. Someone would think a person ignoring their calls and texts would be a good sign they don't want to be bothered, but not Carly. She and Sam just have to get their way no matter who they have to hurt to do so."

"So what are you going to do if they wind up here?"

The boy exhaled as he dropped his shoulders, "I don't really know." It was true. Freddie hadn't given the prospect much thought. What was there to say anyway? The fact that he wanted no part of either of them and that he never wanted to return to the hell hole that was Seattle for him. It's not like they would listen or even care about how he felt. It would just be the same as usual with Carly saying, "Please for me" and Sam beating him if he didn't do what was told of him.

Tori sensed the boy was deep in conflicted thought and placed a hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. If they show up I got your back."

"Thanks Tori." The boy whispered, feeling comforted by her touch.

"Any time." She replied as she reluctantly moved her hand and dropped it back to her side. She glanced at the boy's plain locker before asking, "So do you know how you are going to decorate your locker?" Freddie glanced at his locker and scratched the back of his neck. It was a tradition at the school to decorate your locker to represent you.

"Uh.. Well I was thinking that maybe I could put the words 'Make it Shine' and have it light up and call it a day." He replied playfully as he grabbed his notebook and shut his locker.

"Ha ha." Tori noted sarcastically as the bell rang, "But seriously, you need to find something that represents who you are."

The former iCarly member nodded, "Well until then, can I walk you to class?" Freddie asked, offering his arm. The brunette smiled and nodded as she took his arm as the pair made their way to class. They met André and Beck along the way who teased them about the innocent contact between the pair.

"So when is the honeymoon?" Beck teased as they took their seats. Tori rolled her eyes as the group laughed. She saw Freddie's cheeks turn slightly red as the rest of the students began taking their seats as well. The brunette boy looked around the room and couldn't help but notice that Jade was nowhere to be found.

"Hey Beck." Freddie called, drawing the long haired boy's attention, "Where is Jade?"

Beck shrugged his shoulders as he stated, "Beats me." The former tech producer raised a brow as he noticed his lack of concern for his girlfriend's whereabouts.

"Maybe she just slept in." André suggested.

"Or she had to attend a Goth convention." Rex joked, earning him and Robbie a glare from the former tech producer. Robbie sank a little in his seat and avoided Freddie's look. The brunette boy was about to say something before the sound of a loud bang came from the entrance of the classroom.

"I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!" Jade shouted as she slammed the door on her way in. The group turned to see the pale girl with a large coffee stain on her shirt.

"What happened?" Freddie asked getting out of his seat.

"RYDER!" She snapped.

"Wait you mean the one Tori embarrassed?" André questioned, noticing the confused look of Freddie.

Tori noticed it too as she explained, "Ryder was a guy I dated very briefly until I found out he was using me to help him get a better grade."

"So Tori embarrassed him in front of everyone when they performed." André finished.

"Okay!" Jade exclaimed, bringing the group's attention back on her, "Now that we took a trip down Tori lane can we get back to the part about me killing him?"

"Jade, just relax." Her boyfriend exclaimed earning him a glare from her.

"He bumped into me and spilled my coffee all over me! Instead of apologizing he told me to watch where I was going!" She shouted, "So I am not going to relax!" Beck retook his seat unsure of how to counter Jade's argument.

"Where is he?" Freddie asked, wearing a look of anger on his face. Jade was a bit taken a back as she realized that Freddie looked more angry than her.

"He has a spare right now so my guess is the Asphalt Café." Tori provided, not wanting to get in the way of whatever Freddie had planned. The look in his eyes surprised her as she was more used to seeing calm in them rather than fire.

"Tell Sikowitz that I will be back." He called back to no one in particular as he stormed out in search of the individual that messed with his sister. The rest of the group watched him leave in surprise as Jade's curiosity about the boy reached a whole new level. She didn't expect anyone to actually do anything about her problem let alone Freddie who she still didn't really know that well.

"Uh oh." Cat exclaimed. "This is not going to be good." André added as Tori nodded in agreement.

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Asphalt Café_

Freddie's eyes scanned the outdoor café as he looked for Ryder. He growled as he saw the teenager that fit the description who was currently talking to a pair of girls. The boy shook his head in disgust as he saw the girls carelessly flirting with him as if they didn't know the kind of guy he was.

"Hey!" Freddie called out, drawing the attention of the boy and the girls, "Are you Ryder?"

The teen raised a brow as he looked at the former iCarly member making his way towards him, "Yes I am. What can I do for the iCarly tech producer or former tech producer I should say?"

"You spilled coffee all over Jade!"

"She should have watched where she was going!" He said nonchalantly as he joked to the girls, "Goth girl needed a makeover anyway."

Freddie fumed as he clenched his fist and roared, "Listen, you are going to go and apologize to Jade or else-"

"Or else what?" Ryder interrupted, "Listen dork, why don't you just run off before I beat you to a pulp. I mean no one cares about that slut-"

He wasn't able to continue as he felt a hard blow to the side of his face. Freddie tackled the boy as he continued to pound on the boy who shielded himself from the punches being rained on him.

"Freddie!" A voice shouted, trying to pull him off. The brunette boy saw Lane trying to pull him off Ryder who had blood coming from his mouth. He gave Ryder one last definitive blow before he got up as Lane restrained him in fear that he would go back to making the other teen into a bloody pulp.

"Never talk about Jade like that again otherwise I will end you!" Freddie hissed as Ryder spit out some blood, "And Jade better receive an apology! The same goes for Tori as well!"

"Let's go Freddie." Lane whispered cautiously as he escorted Freddie away while nearby students watched in shock at the scene they witnessed unfolding. The boy fixed his jacket as he stormed off with Lane following closely.

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Math Class_

Tori sat in class nervously as she awaited the arrival of Freddie. He left before first period to confront Ryder and never returned and she couldn't help but worry about how much trouble he was in. Hollywood Arts was fairly strict on fighting. Her mind flashed to the time that she was accused of purposely hitting Jade during their stage fighting demonstration. She feared the possibility of a suspension then so she wondered what would happen to Freddie. The bell rang dismissing the students for lunch as the brunette quickly grabbed her things and made her way out of class.

"Hey!" She heard a voice call out. Tori turned to see André making his way towards her.

"Did you see Freddie?" She asked hopefully.

"No." André noted much to her disappointment, "But you have to see this." Tori's eyes lit up as she saw the video playing on his phone.

"Oh my god." She exclaimed, watching Freddie tackle Ryder and punch him repeatedly. The girl noticed the rage in his eyes as he fought Lane's attempt to restrain him. The video ended with Lane escorting Freddie away while Ryder laid on the floor spitting out blood as the boy threatened to end him and to apologize to Jade and her.

"It's a good thing Freddie doesn't know about Beck giving Jade a time out when we were making your song that day." André pointed out, remembering Beck ordering the girl to take a seat on the stairs and be quiet.

Tori nodded in agreement as she "We need to tell the others, but I feel they might have seen this already."

The songsmith nodded as the pair walked in search of the rest of the group. They saw Jade sitting on a bench staring at her phone as they assumed she was watching what they had just seen.

"Hey." She whispered, noticing the pair making their way towards them.

"You saw the video?" Tori asked, taking a seat beside her. The pale girl nodded.

"This is my fault." Jade stated out loud, realizing that Freddie would be in trouble for defending her.

"No one expected Freddie to go and beat him to a pulp." André assured. The pale brunette simply blew out a breath. This was not the way she wanted the first week of school to end. She just hoped that Freddie would be let off a little easier after the situation was explained. It felt a bit surreal to see someone stand up for her like that. Beck was too laid back to ever consider fighting someone and her friends wouldn't bother taking any of her problems that seriously. Meanwhile Freddie who she barely knew was willing to fight and stand up for her without caring about the consequences. Jade figured it was just his natural instinct to stand up for his friends, but there just seemed more to it than that.

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Lane's Office_

"This isn't good Freddie." Lane admitted, pacing around his office unlike the brunette boy who sat on the couch and simply looked at the blood on his fist. The guidance counselor looked back at the boy, "You need to apologize."

"Are you kidding?" Freddie hissed, giving the man a cold stare, "He called Jade a slut and wasn't going to stop there. You expect me to apologize to that asshole?"

"This is serious. I understand that you are defending your friend, but beating Ryder to a pulp doesn't really look good. That is grounds for suspension." Lane pointed out hoping the boy would understand the seriousness of the situation he was in.

"Then suspend me. I am going to stand up for the people I care for no matter what and if that warrants being suspended then so be it. Is that all or is there more?" Freddie asked as he stood up putting his bag on.

"You need to talk to someone about this anger you have bottled up Freddie." Lane whispered shaking his head, "It is only going to become worse as time goes on. I will try talking to Principal Eikner, but I need you to promise me you won't do something like this again."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but we both know that I am not going to stand by if something like this happens again." The boy left without another word as the guidance counselor sighed and dropped into his chair. Freddie had severe issues that he was burying and Lane knew that it would only take a greater toll on the boy. He wished he would open up to someone even if it wasn't him.

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Parking Lot_

Freddie growled as he walked outside. The adrenaline was wearing off and he could feel his right hand that he used to punch Ryder begin to throb. He made his way to his rental as he opened the rear door and tossed his bag inside.

"Freddie." He heard a voice call out as he shut the door. The boy turned to see a concerned Tori walking hurriedly towards him.

"Hey Tori-" The boy managed to say before Tori hugged him tightly. He was a bit taken aback by the contact as he patted her back. The brunette broke the hug and analyzed her friend's face. The girl was relieved to see no bruises or cuts of any kind.

"Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely.

"He got the worst of it." Freddie joked trying to lighten the mood. He winced a little as he felt a his hand sting as he tried to move it, "I'm fine." He assured, noting the look he was getting from the girl.

"Are you sure?" The younger Vega questioned, not really believing the boy.

Freddie nodded, "Sam's punches hurt a lot more than this." The boy chuckled darkly before asking, "How is Jade?"

Tori's face fell as she answered, "She feels guilty. She thinks that what happened is her fault."

"But it isn't."

"That's what we tried telling her, but she wouldn't listen."

"I'll talk to her." Freddie said as he blew out a breath, "Well listen I've got to go. I have a shift today at the Pear Store and I want to go back to my hotel room and clean up."

"Ok." Tori mumbled, a little disappointed as the boy made his way towards the driver side door.

"Oh and Freddie." She called out, drawing his attention. She surprised him as she gave him a soft peck on the cheek, "Thank you... For standing up for me against Ryder also."

Freddie cracked a small smile as he gave a nod and took a seat in his car. He gave the girl one last glance before pulling out of the parking lot and driving away. Tori watched the car fade away as she sighed. The girl turned around and was about to text her dad asking where he was when she saw a bruised Ryder walking towards his car. The teen saw her and stopped for a second. He stared at the girl before slowly making his way towards the brunette.

"Hi." He greeted. The songstress didn't respond as he continued, "Look... I just wanted to say sorry. I used you... and... you didn't deserve that."

"No girl did." She retorted, recounting that he did the same to multiple girls before her, "And if you were really sorry you would have apologized long before Freddie pounded you into the ground." Ryder grimaced a little as he rub his bruised cheek in memory of the punches from Freddie.

"Fair enough. Maybe I can make it up to you one day." He suggested, hoping she would agree.

"How about now?"

Ryder raised a brow, "I don't follow."

"Tell Principal Eikner that the fight was your fault." She explained as the boy scoffed.

"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered to no one in particular. The look the girl gave showed she was serious about her proposition, "Do you really think I am going to do that? Besides he threw the first punch."

The brunette smirked as a plan began to formulate in her head, "Did I ever tell you that my dad was a detective?" Ryder's eyes slightly popped open at the revelation as the girl continued, "He may not know you now, but what happens when he finds out that you manipulated his youngest daughter? What will he find if he decides to look into you?"

"He can't do that."

"Sure he can, he just needs a reason to and I know several girls you used that would be more than willing to tell him all the manipulative things you've done to them as well."

The boy gulped as he choked out, "Okay, I'll tell Eikner it was my fault tomorrow... Just promise me he won't look into me."

"Deal." She exclaimed, "But not tomorrow. Do it now." Ryder looked at the girl as he muttered something under his breath and brushed by her as he made his way back inside the school. Tori smiled triumphantly as she saw her father pull into the parking lot.

"Hey dad." She greeted, jumping into the car.

"Hey sweetie, how was school?"

Tori let out a small smile, "It was a bit rough, but it ended off much better."

 _Pear Store_

The boy let out a breath as the store finally closed. It had been a long day and he wanted nothing more than to go back to his hotel room and crash. He waved to his manager as he walked out of the store and towards the parking lot. He was caught off guard at seeing a figure leaning against the hood of his car.

"Jade?" Freddie called out, wondering what the girl was doing here so late. The girl pushed herself off the hood of the car as she looked at the teen.

"Hey." She greeted softly, crossing her arms instinctively.

"What are you doing here?" He asked curiously. The boy leaned against the hood his rental as the girl followed suit.

"I... just wanted to thank you... for what you did."

Freddie shrugged his shoulders, "I did what Beck would have done anyway."

She snorted out a laugh and shook her head, "Beck getting into a fight defending me. Yeah that would never happen." The boy frowned a little as she continued, "No one's really stood up for me before. They all think that I am just some mean girl and I have it coming."

"I can relate." He casually replied, "Back in Seattle people used to walk all over me. I had no one to stand up for me or admit what they were doing to me was wrong. They all thought of it as fun and games. That a dork like me couldn't feel angry or hurt because it was my fault for letting them stomp on me in the first place. The more I think about though... the more I feel that... maybe it was my fault."

The pale girl arched her pierced brow, "How?"

"I did let it happen." He turned to look at the girl, "I didn't try to stand up for myself. Let them know I wasn't going to just be a punching bag. Instead I packed up my things and ran."

"You didn't run." She assured, "You decided you wanted something better from life. You can't blame yourself for that." He nodded as the pair leaned on the hood of the car in silence as they gazed at the clear night sky. The moon shone bright upon the empty parking lot as Freddie thought about what Jade said.

"There... was something else I wanted to ask you." Jade started, cautiously. The boy glanced at her and noticed the nervous expression that she wore, "It's just... why do you take so much interest in me? I mean I am not exactly the nicest person in the world and we don't really know each other that well. With Tori I would understand. I mean she is the nice and pretty girl at school that everyone seems to like whereas I'm just the mean bitch."

"No you're not." The boy dismissed, "I may not know you for as long as everyone else, but I can tell you one thing. You may be rough on the exterior, but deep down I know you care a lot about your friends." Jade opened her mouth to argue the point, but shut it when she realized he was telling the truth, "But you are right though."

The girl glanced at the boy curiously, "I have taken more interest in you than others." He confirmed.

"Why?"

Freddie blew out a breath. Now was as good as any time in the future to finally tell her, "This might sound weird and might come as a shock, but I need you to understand that this was a surprise to me as well." Jade furrowed her eyebrows as she waited for the boy to continue, "From what I have told people, you all believe that I left Seattle because of the way I was treated. That may have been true, but there was more to it than that."

He looked at the girl who remained focused on the boy, "You see my mother was a hiding a pretty big secret from me. My mother was pregnant when my father decided to abandon us. She always said he left without telling her where he went whenever I tried to pry information out of her. It wasn't until I overheard a conversation my mom was having on the phone with a woman a few weeks ago about my father that I started forcing the issue. It got to a point where I threatened to never speak to her again if she didn't tell me who the lady was and why she knew my father. You see after my father left Seattle, he went to L.A. Over there he met another woman and they got married and she got pregnant. He never told her however about my mom who was still pregnant carrying me and she was shocked at learning about us."

The boy took a breath as he finished, "She didn't want to be married to a man that would abandon his family and potentially do the same to her and her unborn child as well so she divorced him. She gave birth a couple of months after I was born to a girl. Which just so happens to be _you."_

Jade's eyes went wide as she tried processing what she had just heard. She never knew much about her father other than her mother telling her that they both agreed to a divorce because they weren't able to get along. Now she knew though, there was much more to it than that. She looked at the boy in realization of why he was so interested in her, "So that means you're like my-"

"Brother." Freddie finished, "Well half-brother to be exact, but yeah."

"Whoa."

"Yup, I didn't believe it at first myself."

"So does anyone else know?" She asked.

"Well aside from our father and both of our mothers, no. I didn't really want to announce it to the world." He explained, feeling a weight lifting off his shoulders, "So yeah. That is the whole story I guess and now you know the full reason why I am here."

"I guess I do." She replied, still taken aback that he would go to such lengths to try and get to know her. Truth be told, had it been the other way around she might have done the same, "So does that mean we should call each other brother and sister from now on or half-brother and half-sister?"

"How about we take it slow?" He suggested, not wanting to complicate things more, "This is still pretty new for both of us and I still want us to get to know each other more. I do hope we can get to that point one day though." Jade let out a small smile and nodded in agreement as they went back to looking at the night sky. The idea of having an older sibling was one that never crossed the mind of the girl. She found herself pondering how different her childhood might have been if she had known this fact.

 _"At least we have a chance now."_ The girl thought as she let out a yawn causing the boy to chuckle.

"Come on. Let me give you a ride back home." He offered. His younger half-sister smiled thankful as she stood up and took a seat in his car. The rest of the ride was quiet as Jade simply looked out the window reflecting at how much her life had changed within the span of a day. She couldn't help but feel a little betrayed however that her mother never told her the truth.

"Don't be mad at her." Freddie told the girl, keeping his eye on the road. Jade looked surprised as he read exactly what was on her mind, "The truth was hard for her as well and she didn't want you to carry it around your entire life. I mean who would have thought I would be here in L.A. I didn't that's for sure."

"I just wish she told me though." She insisted.

"I get it." The boy agreed, "I kind of wished my mom told me earlier too, but it must be tough on both of them. Your mom made a tough decision to leave our father, but she did it because she loves you and never wanted to see you get hurt. You can't really blame her for wanting to keep you protected."

"I guess not." The girl replied, thinking over what the boy said. They arrived at her house a few minutes later in comfortable silence. Jade thanked the boy and got out of the car as she made her way towards the front door. She waved as the boy backed out of the driveway and drove off into the night. The girl opened the door and saw her mother sitting on the couch looking at some papers she figured were from work.

"Jade?" She asked, taking off her reading glasses and looking at her daughter, "Are you okay?"

"I know... about Freddie." The girl simply replied. The mother nodded her head in understanding as she got up from her seat and gave the girl a hug.

"I'm sorry I never told you." The older West apologized.

"It's okay mom." Jade whispered as she rested her head on her mother's chest, "I know you only meant the best for me." The girl yawned as she broke away from her mother, "I'm going to go to bed."

"Okay sweetie goodnight."

"Night." She replied, "And mom."

"Yes?"

"I love you." The older West smiled as she looked at her daughter that she loved more than life itself.

"I love you too sweetheart."

 _Benson Hotel Room_

"Hello?"

"Hey mom it's me."

"Freddie? How are you? Is everything alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Everything is fine... Great actually." He exclaimed, "I just wanted to call you and let you know that Jade knows about me now. I know you thought it was a bad idea, but-"

"It's alright Freddie. It took me some time to digest this, but you are old enough to make decisions for yourself now. You're not that little Freddie that used to run around the house in his diaper. If this was what you wanted then I can only do one thing and that is support my son." Freddie smiled at his mother's words.

"Thanks mom."

"Just promise not to forget about me while living your life in L.A."

"Never." He replied, "I'm going to go to bed now, but I promise to call you soon ok?"

The older Benson smiled feeling a tear slip down her face, "Sure. Goodnight Freddie. I love you."

"Love you too mom." He whispered as he placed the phone on the night table and sighed. It was tough to not have his mother in the room next to him like in Seattle, but he knew it was for the best. This was his second chance to live a happy life and he wasn't going to risk losing it no matter what.

 _Shay Residence_

The youngest Shay rubbed her eyes and let out a soft yawn as she walked down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. The sound of a knock on the door surprised her considering how late it was. She walked slowly towards the door as she looked through the peep hole. The web hostess groaned as she opened the door to reveal her ham loving best friend who was dressed in pajamas.

"Sam?" She whispered loudly, "What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?"

"You've got to see this." She replied walking past the brunette into the apartment. Carly rolled her eyes and closed the door as she walked towards the blonde who began using the computer.

"If this is another one of those weird animal videos you can show me it tomorrow. I'm going to bed." The web hostess stated, as she began climbing the stairs.

"No wait." Sam shouted, before whispering, "Just look." The girl rolled her eyes as she walked back down and towards her friend. The blonde played the video and Carly's eyes went wide instantly as she recognized the face.

"Oh my god." Carly exclaimed, "Freddie!" She saw the boy tackle a teen to the floor and punch him repeatedly.

"Who knew the nub could pack a punch?"Sam pointed out, surprised herself at Freddie mopping the floor with the other kid.

"Where is this?" Carly asked, unfamiliar with the place.

"Uh.. Some high school called Hollywood Arts.. In Los Angeles." Sam read out, wondering how on Earth he got into a school that seemed out of the boy's league.

"Los Angeles? How did he end up there?"

The blonde looked at her friend and shrugged lacking concern, "Does it matter? We found him. The question is what are we going to do?"

Carly looked at the video as she saw Freddie walking away from the boy sprawled out on the ground.

"We're going to bring him back home."

 **AN: And that is the end of the chapter I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading. If you have any feedback or comments please feel free to leave a review and I will get back to you in the following chapter.  
**

 **Xemtlenc: Thank you for your review. Beck letting insults directed at Jade fly by will not be tolerated by Freddie. Especially after this chapter, Freddie is going to make sure that no one messes with his half-sister and he'll go to whatever lengths to make sure of it. Expect Freddie and Beck to have a conversation later on in the future about that issue though.**

 **epuresoul: Thank you for your review. I know it is difficult to wait for a new chapter, trust me I can relate being a reader myself. I will try my best to post somewhat consistently, but obviously it is dependent on my schedule.**

 **Once again thank you all for reading and stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

 _Vega Residence_

Tori Vega:

Trina is driving me crazy right now!

Feeling: Annoyed

"Trina I don't understand why you need all of this stuff. We are going to the beach for the day not moving there!" Tori exclaimed, seeing the pile of miscellaneous items near the door.

The older Vega sister rolled her eyes as she set down her make-up kit and looked at her sister, "Oh Tori. My naive little sister, you have so much to learn." The girl pinched her cheeks much to the younger Vega's irritation. A knock at the door diverted their attention.

"It's open!" Tori shouted as she swatted Trina's hands away from her face. The door opened to reveal the tech wiz, "Hey Freddie!" Tori greeted as the boy walked inside the house.

"Hey Tori, I was just checking to see if - what is all this?" He asked, pointing to the pile of Trina's items.

"Trina." The songstress simply replied as Freddie's mouth made an 'O' face. She looked back at the boy and asked, "So how is your hand?

"A little sore, but I'll live." He flashed his boyish grin as he clenched and unclenched his fist, "Nothing some ice couldn't fix."

"Okay that's the last of it!" Trina exclaimed, dropping a bag on the ground next to the feet of the brunette boy. She glanced at the pair who were giving her confused looks, "What?"

"It's just... do you really need all this?" Freddie asked, his eyes looking around at all the scattered items, "I really don't think all of this will fit in my car."

"Last time I got trapped in an RV for hours!" She pointed out, "I am not going to go to the beach without proper preparation this time. Who knows what might happen!" The pair lacked any response knowing it would be useless to argue with her as the older Vega sister smiled and put on her sun glasses, "Great! Now who is ready to hit the beach?"

Freddie and Tori looked at each other as Trina exited the house.

"Please tell me we aren't taking all of this stuff?" The former tech producer groaned as he picked up a hair straightener, "I mean why would she need this for the beach?" Tori simply shook her head not really knowing how to describe to Freddie that this was Trina's regular behaviour.

The songstress stared at the pile surrounding them and suggested, "Let's just grab the essentials and leave everything else."

"Fine by me." The boy replied as the pair began to sift through the pile of items in search of anything that was even remotely useful for their trip to the beach. After a couple of minutes of scavenging, the pair grabbed the items and loaded them into the trunk. Freddie took a seat in his car as Tori sat in the front with him.

"Are we ready to go girls?" Freddie asked, placing the key in the ignition.

"No, wait!" Tori exclaimed, digging into her bag and grabbing her Pear pod. She plugged the device into the car's audio port and smiled, "Okay now we are ready to go." Freddie smiled as he put on his sunglasses and turned the key to start the car as the girl turned up the volume and hit play.

"Venice Beach here we come!" Tori shouted as her sister and Freddie cheered. The car rolled out of the driveway as it made it's way towards its destination.

"Are we there yet?" Trina whined as the car stopped at a signal.

"We just left!" Tori retorted. She looked at Freddie who just gave an amused smile and chuckled as his eyes went back on the road. The girl simply turned up the volume of the music even more to try and drown out Trina's whining for the remainder of the trip.

 _Venice Beach_

Freddie pulled into an open parking spot as he looked at the back-seat to see the older Vega sister sound asleep. He tapped Tori on the shoulder and motioned his head towards the sleeping girl.

"I was wondering why it got quiet after a quarter way through." Tori said, slightly amused at the way her sister was sleeping. Her head rested on the window of the car with her feet sprawled out on the rest of the seat. The pair giggled a little as the older girl began to stir. Her eyes slowly opened as she saw the two teens staring at her trying to suppress their laughter. Freddie couldn't help but remember the way Sam used to sprawl out on the Shay's couch and how closely it resembled Trina's sleeping position.

"Are we there yet?" Trina asked, still groggy from her nap.

"Yes, Trina." Freddie replied, letting out a soft chuckle, "We are finally here!" The older Vega stared out the window as she saw the sand and the waves crashing down on the shore. She squealed excitedly as she got of the car leaving the two teens behind. They simply laughed as they got of the car themselves and saw a familiar RV pull into a parking spot near them. Similar to Trina, the moment the RV parked all the teens quickly exited the vehicle. Freddie chalked it off to them probably fearing that they would end up trapped inside there again.

"Hey guys!" The redhead greeted excitedly as she gave them both a quick hug.

"Hey Cat." The boy replied as Tori and him exchanged greetings with the rest of the teens. Jade gave her half-brother a smile as they made their way towards the beach. The group sat down some chairs and the cooler as they the took time to soak in the warmth the sun was providing along with the sight of the sparkling water.

"So how was the ride here?" Jade asked, wearing a wicked smile as she looked at her frenemy, "Riding with Trina must have been a very... relaxing experience." Tori glared at the girl and ignored the remark as she took a seat on the chair next to Freddie. André, Cat, and Robbie decided to go into the waters, leaving Freddie, Tori, Beck, and Jade behind. A group of girls walked by the group a few minutes later giving the two boys flirtatious smiles. Freddie ignored them as he was busy talking to Tori and wasn't really interested in the girls. Beck however smiled making one of them giggle as they made their way past them. Jade took notice of this and simply gave a low growl. The girls looked at the pale girl who gave them a harsh glare and quickly ran off.

"Why did you do that?" Beck asked, slightly annoyed, "They were just being friendly."

Jade glared at her boyfriend and snapped, "That girl was flirting with you and you just smiled back."

Beck sighed as he got up for his seat, "I wasn't flirting with her if that is what you are implying. Why don't you just trust me?"

"I do-" She replied as Beck rolled his eyes and muttered, "Not enough." The long haired boy didn't give the girl time to respond as he exclaimed, "I am going to go for a swim."

Jade watched the boy walk away as she whispered finishing her sentence, "I just don't trust them." Jade looked at Freddie who gave her a sad smile as she looked back at Beck in the far distance. He sighed as he took a seat beside the girl while Tori went to go find her sister who she spotted hanging out with the lifeguard to give the pair some privacy.

The former iCarly member glanced at the girl before asking concerned, "Are you okay?"

The pale girl snorted out a laugh, "Yeah... Just another fight in the Beck and Jade relationship."

Freddie arched a brow as he looked at Jade unsure of what she said, "So you mean this has happened before?" The girl nodded her head in confirmation, "Have you tried talking to Beck about it?"

"He just assumes I am getting jealous for no reason." She explained, glancing at the boy, "Sure I get jealous, but it's because seeing girls just carelessly flirt with him as if I am not beside him gets on my nerves. It makes it worse that he doesn't believe me when I tell him they are trying to go out with him." Freddie narrowed his eyes on Beck who had seemed to go back the group of girls and apologize for his girlfriend's 'uncalled for behaviour' as he put it.

"Maybe I should have a talk with him?" Freddie suggested out loud. Jade looked at the boy curiously as he continued, "If he doesn't believe you then maybe he has to hear it from someone else."

The girl just shook her head, "I appreciate it what you are trying to do, but I think this is something Beck and I have to figure out." She chuckled a little as she point out, "Besides, don't you think Beck will find it a little weird that you are suddenly defending my honour once again? He might get the wrong idea."

Freddie shrugged his shoulders, "Let him. You and I know the truth." He noted, "Besides, I'm not going to stand by and watch him walk away from you like everything is your fault. He is in a relationship with you and he should respect you enough to realize when something is bothering you. He needs to understand that whether he wants to accept it or not." Jade opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when she realized the boy was right.

The pair sat in silence before Jade broke it shortly after. "Thanks, Freddie. For listening to me." The girl whispered, warmly as she gazed at their friends playing in the water, "You should go and join them. I don't want you to be stuck with your younger sister complaining to you about her relationship problems for the rest of the day." She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Freddie frowned slightly at his half-sister, "What about you?"

She shook her head and muttered, "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" The boy questioned, wondering why she was so reluctant.

Jade bowed her head as she took a deep breath, "Long story short, I had an incident with a dolphin when I was in the third grade. Since then I don't like going into the water." The green streaked girl explained, "It sounds kind of strange, but as a little kid that incident left me terrified." She dug her feet into the warm sand as she glanced at the waves crashing down.

Freddie looked at his half-sister, "Have you ever tried going back into the water since then?"

"Not really, aside from walking near the shoreline I tend to keep my distance. People think I am just overreacting, but they weren't there. I thought I was going to die that day." Jade admitted, closing her eyes as she remembered nearly drowning, "My mom shouted for help and a lifeguard pulled me out. They had to perform CPR on me. Apparently, the dolphin somehow got too close to land and struck me accidentally on the side of my waist and it caused me to become winded. I don't really remember it all, it was pretty blurry now that I look back on it."

Freddie felt a chill run down his spine from the story. If Jade hadn't survived that day he would have never had the chance to meet her. It was a scary thought and one he was relieved to not have to go through in reality.

"I'm sorry." He stated, "I just wish I-"

"This isn't your fault." She dismissed and let out a soft chuckle realizing he would always try and assume responsibility for things out of his hand, "We never knew either of us even existed back then remember?"

Freddie nodded, understanding her point, "But how about now? Wouldn't it be my fault now if I didn't try to help you get over your fear of the water?"

"Why do you always have to be so noble?" She questioned, faking an annoyed tone. The boy smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say? It's just the Freddie Benson way." He rhymed as the girl snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes. He let out a small smile before asking in a more serious tone, "So what do you think?"

"I don't know if I'm ready." She replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"No one is ready to face their fears, but sometimes you just have to go out there and try." Jade looked at the boy reluctantly as he assured, "I promise I will be there every step of the way." He offered his hand as he awaited Jade's reaction. The pale girl stared into the boy's eyes and felt the trust and comfort that they radiated. She blew out a calming breather as she took his hand and lifted herself off her feet. She looked at her half-brother who smiled and guided her towards the water. They reached the shoreline and stopped as Jade looked at the water with a nervous expression as the memory of that day flashed in her head. The group gave the pair a strange look as they were not used to seeing Jade act so vulnerable, but also because Freddie was holding her hand.

"You can do this." Freddie whispered to her, "One step at a time." The girl nodded as they inched closer and closer to the water.

"Come on Jade!" Cat cheered, realizing what Freddie was trying to do while the group slowly started to figure out what was going on. The girl looked at her best friend and smiled as she gained confidence. It took a minute, but Jade finally managed to get into the water. The redhead cheered and ran to her friend.

"I did it." Jade beamed in disbelief as Freddie let go of her hand.

"You see, all you had to do was try." The boy replied proudly. The girl hugged the boy as she saw Beck walk away from the group in the corner of her eye. Her attention was diverted however as she felt water splash onto her back. She snapped her head to find the guilty party only to see Cat giggling with a mischievous look on her face.

"Oh it's on!" She shouted as even Tori, André, and Robbie joined in the water fight. Freddie played with them for a little bit before sneaking off and making his way back to the chairs they had set up. He looked to see Beck sipping on some soda and watching his girlfriend have fun.

"Hey." Freddie stated, taking a seat next to the boy. The long haired teen eyed the boy and took another sip of his drink.

"I haven't seen Jade ever go into the water before." He noted, watching the girl laugh as André splashed water on her, "She always said she was too scared and didn't want to go. Something about an incident with a dolphin."

"Yeah that must have been rough on her." Freddie pointed out, "I know when I got hit by that taco truck I was afraid to cross the road before looking left and right a million times. It took a while to snap out of that funk, but with Jade she always had it in her. I'm sure you already know this, but she is a strong girl."

Beck nodded in agreement as he pointed out, "She doesn't really like new faces, but she seems to really be close to you."

Freddie glanced at the long haired boy, "I just try and be someone that she can talk to. I know what it's like to not have anyone that you can talk to, to get things off your chest."

"I just wish she would do the same with me. I always try talking to her, but she never seems to tell me these things." Beck replied, frustrated.

"Maybe you should let her do the talking and just listen. From what I can tell, Jade wants to talk to you about things, but she feels you don't listen to her. Kind of like today."

"Come on." Beck exclaimed, "You can't tell me that she wasn't overreacting with those girls."

Freddie clenched his jaw before responding in a neutral tone, "You didn't let her finish what she was going to say. Instead you walked away and even went to talk to those same girls."

"She just said she trusts me, but whenever I am around a girl not her she starts getting jealous and I don't understand why!" The long haired teen explained.

"She does trust you even if you might not believe it. However she doesn't trust the girls that swarm around you. Jade is scared of losing you Beck and maybe the way she shows that is by scaring away the girls, but that doesn't take away from the fact that she cares about you."

"I don't want her to be afraid though. I love Jade and no girl can ever replace her." Beck pointed out. Freddie let out a small smile at the teen's words of affection.

"Then tell her that." Freddie simply pointed out, "And show her by not allowing those girls to flirt with you." Beck didn't get a chance to respond as the group made their way back.

"Hey, how was the water fight?" Freddie asked, looking at the drenched teens in front him.

"I won." Jade claimed triumphantly as Freddie smiled.

"It was totally a tie." Tori argued, grabbing a towel and drying her hair.

"Whatever... I'm starving!" André noted. His stomach grumbled backing up his claim. The group laughed before they went to grab food from a vendor. They sat on the chairs and ate as Trina shortly joined them with a very happy look on her face.

"Uh.. Are you feeling okay Trina?" Tori asked not used to seeing her sister smile.

The older Vega glared at the girl before stating excitedly, "Ok, so I am pretty sure you all are aware of my famous relationships during my time at Hollywood Arts?"

"Famous?" Beck asked.

"You were in a relationship?" Rex added.

"Anyway!" The girl interrupted. Trina waited to make sure that they all had their focus on her before continuing, "So you see that lifeguard over there?" The group turned to see a fairly tanned and muscular older teen observing the water.

"I don't see him." Cat exclaimed as she looked around, using her hands as binoculars. Jade rolled her eyes and rotated the girl so she could see who Trina was talking about, "Oh I see him now."

"His name is Matt and he happens to find me smoking hot. His words by the way." Trina explained, "And he asked me out on a date."

"That guy?" Beck pointed, unsure of whether he was believing what the girl was saying.

"Asked you out on a date?" Jade added, making sure to enunciate the word 'you'. Freddie shook his head as he was annoyed by the group's lack of happiness for the girl.

"I think it's great." Freddie supportively said.

"Thanks Freddie!" The older Vega sister replied, pleased that at least one person cared that she was happy.

"No problem, just make sure to tell me if he hurts you so I can kick his ass." The former tech producer added, earning him a couple of surprised looks. He simply shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Jade with a smirk, "Comes with being noble I guess."

The pale girl smirked herself as she took a bite of her food. The rest of the group followed suit and continued talking to each other, sharing stories of their past some rather memorable and some rather embarrassing for certain individuals like Robbie. The sun began to set as the group decided to sit or go for one last swim while Freddie and Tori went for a walk as did Beck and Jade, both pairs going separate ways.

"Listen Jade." The long haired boy started as the pair walked along the shoreline. The pale girl looked at her boyfriend as he continued, "I just wanted to say-"

"I'm sorry." She interrupted, "I know you may think I don't trust, but I do. It's just I see those other girls and.. It just bothers me you know."

"I get it, but that doesn't mean you have to worry about them." He paused as he took the girl's hand and looked at her eyes, "I love you Jade and no girl is going to take that away."

The pale girl looked at her boyfriend and cracked a small smile. It felt like a wave of relief washed over her even though she knew Beck always did since they were young. Beck was always a very laid back person so hearing him give her reassurance was all the better for the girl. She slowly closed the distance between them as she gave him a soft kiss. They broke a part a few minutes later to catch their breath. Beck took Jade's hand as they continued to walk along the beach.

"You know..." Beck exclaimed, "It just occurred to me that you didn't say it back."

"Say what?" She asked, raising her pierced brow.

"I love you."

She rolled her eyes playfully and mumbled as if it was obvious, "You know I love you."

"What was that?" He asked, placing a hand on his ear to enunciate that he pretended to not have heard her.

"I said I love you!" She shouted, giving him a playful smack in the chest, "Are you happy now?"

"Very." He whispered as he gave the girl another kiss.

Meanwhile Freddie and Tori took a seat a little more isolated from the group as they looked at the pretty view of the sun setting over the calm waters.

"So you and Jade seem pretty close." Tori exclaimed, keeping her eyes on the water.

"I guess you can say that, but still not as much as I would like to be." Tori raised her brow at the boy's response as a teasing grin formed on her face.

"Sounds like someone has got a crush." She teased. The boy looked for a second at the girl before bursting out laughing.

"Okay what's so funny?" She asked, standing up and putting a hand on her hip. The boy continued to laugh as Tori exclaimed, "Freddie!"

"I'm sorry.. It's just.." He said in between breaths as he stood up trying to recollect himself. The boy paused as he realized he couldn't really explain the absurdness of her statement as Jade and him had yet to tell anyone about them being siblings. He looked as Tori impatiently awaited a response, "Jade is my friend and I wouldn't look at her any other way not only out of respect for her and Beck's relationship, but because that is the only way I see her."

The songstress seemed to buy his explanation as she questioned, "So who do you like?"

Freddie frowned a little as he whispered, "I used to love Carly... Since we were kids too, but I guess that ship sank before it even made it out of the port."

Tori instantly felt guilty as she inadvertently brought up the boy's old wounds, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He dismissed, giving her a look that showed he understood she meant no harm, "It is something that I am slowly moving on from. It may take time, but I want to be sure that it remains the past before I even think of trying to date a girl."

"I understand." She replied feeling a tad bit disappointed the boys words, "I may not have ever fallen in love before, but I know it must be hard to move on from someone you've spent so long loving." The girl looked down sadly as she realized her dating life had pretty much been a string of failures. From the manipulative Ryder and her ex-boyfriend at Northridge, she really couldn't find a guy that wanted to really be with her.

Freddie noted her look of disappointment and took her hand softly, "Hey." He whispered, drawing the girl's eyes to his, "Me still being in love with Carly doesn't mean that I stop feeling attracted to beautiful and talented girls. I just want to be able to be the kind of guy they can count on and can give them the care and affection that they deserve." Tori looked at boy and cracked a small smile and blushed slightly trying to avoid eye contact. The boy let out a smile of his own before a thought crossed his mind.

"Hey, how about we take picture?" He suggested, pulling out his phone, "It will be a great way to remember today." The brunette agreed and moved closer into Freddie while resting her head on his shoulder. The boy slipped a hand around her waist and the paired smiled as he snapped a photo of them.

"Hey lovebirds!" André shouted. The pair turned to see the rest of the group staring at the pair, "Are you coming with us or are we leaving you two standing their holding hands?" The rest of the group chuckled as the pair looked away slightly flustered and gave each other some distance. They made their way back to their vehicles as they shared goodbyes with the rest of the group before they would go their separate ways.

"See you in school." Beck said as he gave Freddie a one armed hug before saying more quietly, "Thanks by the way. For the whole Ryder incident and what you said to me today, it worked."

The boy gave a knowing look as he looked at Jade who stood back and watched the exchange. The girl gave him a quick hug as did Cat before the boy took a seat in his car. The RV pulled out of the parking lot as Freddie pulled out a minute after. The rest of the drive was rather quiet as both the Vega girls fell asleep. Freddie smiled seeing the two girls sleeping as he continued driving.

The rental finally pulled up on the Vega's driveway as the stars lit the sky. Freddie put the car in park and killed the ignition. He turned to see the girls still sleeping and smiled.

"We're here girls." He said as softly as he could to not wake them up abruptly. The sisters eyes opened as Trina let out a soft yawn.

"Night Freddie." The older Vega noted opening the door of the car, "Thank you for giving us a ride."

"It was my pleasure. Just promise me you won't fall asleep next time so we can get to know each other some more. Maybe we can get some lunch at school one day." Freddie offered. The girl smiled and nodded her head in agreement as she made her way inside.

The boy turned back to see Tori let out a small yawn as she looked at the boy.

"Thank you." He said, giving her a soft smile, "Today was one of the best days of my life after a while and I don't think I'll ever forget it."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." She replied. The songstress reached over in her seat and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, "Goodnight Freddie." Tori whispered as she got out of the car and closed the door. The boy smiled as he gave a wave to the girl who walked inside. He sat in the car for a couple of minutes before turning the key in the ignition and pulling out of the driveway. Tori watched from her bedroom window as she saw the boy leave. She blew out a soft breath and laid down on her bed. His heart was broken and she was determined to help him pick up the pieces.

 **AN: And that is the end of the chapter! Thank you all for reading. Please feel free to leave any feedback or comment and I will respond to you in the following chapter. I apologize in advance if it takes me a bit longer than usual to post the next chapter as I am a bit busy currently. Thanks for your understanding and thank you all for your continued support for this story. Let me also know if there is a character that you would like to see more of in the coming chapters and I will try to give them a bigger role.**

 **Challenge King: Thank you for your review. Freddie's protecting nature is something that he's had before he knew Jade. From him saving Carly and putting himself at risk, showed he is willing to do whatever to protect those he cares about. With Jade he will obviously take the extra mile and even Tori as they continue to get closer in the coming chapters. With regards to Tori, I actually quite enjoyed writing that part. I felt it was a interesting side of Tori and one where she has shown she can be very good at.**

 **epuresoul: Thank you for your review. You are absolutely right. As you can see from this chapter, the group is starting to get curious about why Freddie and Jade seem so close despite knowing each other for a short time. So far they have been able to avoid giving them an answer, but they will have to do so otherwise they will allow people to think the worst which will make their problems that much more difficult. With regards to Carly and Sam, expect to see them soon. Not saying the next chapter, but at some point where Freddie leasts expects it. Carly wants Freddie back and even if Sam doesn't really care, she is still going to help Carly if it will make her best friend happy. The confrontation is not going to be pretty that's for sure.**

 **Thank you all for reading once again and stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Sikowitz's Class_

"Alright settle down, settle down." Sikowitz instructed, making his way to the front of the class. He waited a moment to ensure he had the attention of all his students before continuing, "Now as you all know or may have heard, we are going to be producing a new play written by Samuel Holt. He has been kind in letting us perform some of his new work so I want anyone thinking of auditioning to make sure they can be fully dedicated to the play."

"What's the play about?" Tori asked, curiously.

"Good question," Sikowitz clapped, "It is about a astronaut that has been trapped on space and returns to town only to find it overrun by aliens. The astronaut meets another survivor and they embark to save the Earth."

"Cool." Robbie exclaimed, excited by the sci-fi plot.

"You thinking that's cool is the reason why you don't get any ladies." Rex pointed out, earning the puppet a couple laughs from surrounding students. Robbie slouched in his seat a little, but regained some confidence upon seeing Cat giving him a reassuring smile.

"Any more questions? No? Good!" Sikowitz stated, ignoring Freddie raising his hand.

"I am going to believe you didn't see me." Freddie called out, "But we know that isn't true."

The barefooted teacher looked at the boy, " No you are right Freddie I did ignore you intentionally." The boy gave an irritated look as he awaited further explanation, "You see you can't be a part of the play."

"Why not?" He questioned, looking at his friends who gave him a look as if they were hiding some key information from him.

"Because you haven't passed the bird scene." The strange teacher explained, taking a sip of his coconut water, "Ah! Nothing better than coconut water from the old man selling behind the dumpster."

Jade shot him a disgusted look before turning to her half-brother, "The bird scene is this big Hollywood Arts tradition. You have to perform the piece and pass. Once you do you are allowed to audition for plays."

"Precisely." Sikowitz agreed, grabbing a script and handing it to the boy, "Now don't worry, you get as many tries as you need until you finally pass."

"How many tries did it take you?" Freddie questioned, looking at his friends.

"One." Jade admitted, "Unlike, Tori. She was a slow learner." The pale girl shot the brunette a wicked smile and was responded by a pair of rolling eyes.

Tori pondered snapping back but instead asked, "So where do we sign up for an audition?"

"Well auditions aren't until Wednesday, but you are all free to sign up on the sheet posted at the front of the class - after the end of the period." Sikowitz added, noting the eager students jumping out of their seats before slumping back down.

"Now that we got that out of the way, it's time for some improv acting. You are all fish out of water. And action!"

 _Shay Residence_

The brunette web hostess scrolled down the page as she read the various updates and posts. She managed to stumble upon The Slap and found out that the students attending Hollywood Arts used it. Her heart skipped a nervous beat when she saw an icon for The Slap profile of one Freddie Benson. For the last half an hour the brunette read every post and update from the boy and other teenage kids that looked to be his new friends.

The idea of him having new friends stung her a little as there was once a time when she was his best friend.

"I still am." The brunette insisted, trying to convince herself it was the truth, "I just need to show Freddie that he was wrong."

As if the brunette boy could hear her thoughts, an icon popped up showing a new update to his profile page. The web hostess clicked quickly on the update and her heart sank even further. It was a picture of Freddie with a girl that oddly looked like Shelby Marx resting her head on him.

"Is that Shelby Marx?" A voice questioned, startling the brunette girl. She turned to see her beat friend making her way inside her room.

"Don't you knock?" Carly questioned, despite knowing it was useless to even ask.

"Why are you stalking the nub?" The blonde instead asked, plopping onto the bed next to the girl.

"I'm not stalking- OK maybe I am." Carly conceited, looking at Sam's glance that she made when she knew Carly was lying.

The blonde rolled her eyes as she looked at the picture, "That chick probably felt bad for the little nub and took a picture with him out of pity."

A new comment appeared from Tori Vega and the bruentte read it our, "We totally need to have another beach day ASAP." The girl clicked on the profile page of the girl and felt a bit of jealousy seep through her veins.

"She is clearly taking advantage of him. That bitch." Carly seethed, taking even Sam by surprise. For some reason seeing the way Freddie held the girl reminded her of how he used to look at her. It bothered her a lot to see him act like she never existed or meant anything to him. A part of her knew it was her fault for that, but she wasn't going to blame herself for it. It was just as much his fault as it was hers.

"He dumped me." She assured herself.

"Don't worry Carly." Sam replied nonchalantly, "That girl is going to break his little nub heart and he is going to come crying all the way back to Seattle to us. Now come on, we have to go rehearse for iCarly." Carly glanced at the picture of Freddie and Tori one more time before shutting her laptop.

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Asphalt Café_

"This is ridiculous." The boy thought to himself as he read through the script for the bird scene. He tossed the script aside on the table with a hint of disgust, realizing how stupid it was to let one scene influence whether you could audition for other plays or not.

"You looked like me when I failed the bird scene." Tori noted, taking a seat in front of the boy. Freddie glanced at the songstress before shaking his head.

"I don't mean to sound like a whiner or anything, but I just think it's kind of stupid you know." He explained. The younger Vega nodded in understanding as she chewed on her food.

She swallowed before exclaiming, "I know it may seem stupid, but trust me you will pass. You are confident and that's all that matters."

"I'm not sure what me being confident will do in helping Sikowitz decide whether or not to pass me."

Tori simply gave a small grin and whispered, "More than you think." Freddie nodded his head slowly still a bit confused. He knew Tori was trying to hint at something, but it just seemed to go right over his head.

"Sup lovebirds." André greeted as he joined the pair. Both rolled their eyes simultaneously, but the songsmith noticed each of them turning slightly red.

"Harris." Freddie nodded, noticing his excited expression. The brunette also seemed to take that into account as well as she asked, "Okay what's up? You seem like you want to say something. "

"What makes you say that?" He asked, wondering what made it so obvious.

"Dude, you're bouncing more than a kangaroo." The boy pointed out, noting André's inability to stay still. André noticed it himself and gripped the table to stay still as he gave the pair a semi embarrassed expression.

"So... Are you going to tell us about what's up?" Tori asked, waiting for the songsmith to give them the news.

"Tell you about what?" Jade asked as she made her way to the table with Beck. They took a seat as all eyes went towards André.

"So you guys know Keenan Thompson?" He questioned as the group nodded excitedly.

"Are y'all ready?" André shouted, bouncing in his seat.

"Yes!" They all exclaimed, Jade with a hint of annoyance.

"He invited me to a party!" André finally revealed. The group all groaned as they realized that it was not as big of a deal as they first made it out to be. The musical virtuoso took note of this, "You didn't let me finish. You see he invited me, but he also said I could invite a small group of friends."

"Shut up!" Tori exclaimed in disbelief.

"What I have been trying to get you to do since you came to Hollywood Arts." Jade teased as Tori simply ignored her remark.

"So where is this party anyway?" Beck asked, knowing it was useless trying to get between his girlfriend and friend.

"Did someone say party?" A voice questioned. The group turned to see Trina making her way towards them.

"No." André stated as casually as he could, "Party? I don't know what you are talking about."

"Harris." Trina said glaring at the teen, "Tell me."

He looked at the older Vega and let out a sigh, "Fine, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else."

"You can trust me André. I am the best friend anyone would want." She assured, earning her disbelieving looks from the group sans Freddie.

"OK. Keenan Thompson invited me to a party at his house this weekend. Now you have to promise not to tell anyo-"

"KEENAN THOMPSON!" Trina screamed surprised, "Oh my god, I have to tell all my friends." Before André could say anything the girl walked away tapping away on her cellphone

"Great, now the whole world is going to know before the end of the day." André groaned, "Keenan is going to kill me."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Jade casually remarked, "I highly doubt Trina has any friends." Freddie gave his sister a disapproving look and she simply shrugged.

"Well anyway." Freddie noted, standing up and grabbing his things, "If you will excuse me, I am going to go to class."

"Later." André waved as the rest of the group stated similar goodbyes.

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Main Stairwell_

The brunette boy blew out a breath as he walked down the stairs to the main floor. He felt pretty tired and thinking about the work he had waiting for him made him groan slightly. The tech wiz made his way to his still yet to be decorated locker. He had been meaning to do something about it, but he still wasn't sure yet.

"Cat wait up." He heard a familiar voice shout. He turned to see the redhead storming away from Robbie who tried to keep up with her. His pursuit was cut short by the girl locking herself in the janitor's closet.

"Cat I can explain." Robbie said exhausted. He turned to Freddie who gave him a neutral look as he wasn't sure what happened between the pair.

"What happened?" Freddie finally asked, taking a seat next to the boy on the bench near the closet.

"None of your business, Benson." Rex chirped.

Freddie glared at the puppet and then it's handler before whispering, "Robbie, I've held back on some of the crap you've said through Rex, but right now I am not in that same mood." Robbie looked slightly nervous, but bowed his head not wanting to explain. Freddie shook his head and signed, "Fine, I guess I will just have to find out through Cat."

The pair got up from the bench as Freddie made his way towards the closet while Robbie went in the other direction not wanting to stick around for the revelation.

"Oh and Robbie." Freddie called out. The curly haired boy turned to face him, "If I find out you did something to hurt Cat, you and I are going to have a talk."

Robbie gulped and nodded slightly before walking away hurriedly. Freddie turned his attention back to the door.

He knocked on the door lightly, "Cat it's me."

"I don't want to talk to you Robbie." She replied, her tone laced with annoyance.

"It's not Robbie, Cat." The boy replied.

"Freddie?"

"Yes, now would you please open the door." There was a brief moment of quiet before the tech wiz heard the the doorknob click. He opened the door slowly to reveal the redhead sitting on a table looking visibly upset.

"Are you okay?" Freddie asked softly, taking a seat beside the redhead. She simply looked at him and shook her head.

"He said I was a mistake." She finally whispered, earning the confusion of the boy.

"What?"

"A mistake." She reiterated, feeling her eyes well up again, "I walked in to see if Robbie wanted to hang out after school when I saw him with some girl. I didn't want to interrupt them so I just stood a good distance away and tried not to make myself present. They started talking and he said that he really liked her, but she asked about me."

"Why would she ask about you?" Freddie asked, trying to catch on.

The redhead let out a small breath and noted, "Robbie and I dated." The boy looked at the girl a bit surprised, but now was not the time to start asking questions.

"It didn't work out." The girl continued, filling the boy in on the rest of the story, "But anyway, so she asked him about me. I guess she figured we still had feelings for each other. But... he said I was a mistake. As if whatever we shared together meant nothing to him. Like I meant nothing to him." Cat couldn't hold it in any longer as she began to sob again. The boy wrapped his arms around the girl as she cried on his chest.

"It hurts I know." Freddie whispered, "But you can't let it get to you. You are a talented and smart girl Cat and you shouldn't let your ex convince you otherwise."

"Why would he say something like that though?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders as even he questioned how one could betray someone like that. His thoughts trailed back to his former friends in Seattle. How could they have treated him like that? What did he do to deserve it? He could feel some anger seep into him, but he let it pass as he turned to the redhead.

"Some people just want things so bad that they don't care about the people they have to step on to do so." He explained, "Robbie just wanted that girl's attention. If he thinks that she is worth more than what you two had not only as a couple but as friends then maybe it's best you found out now than later. I wish I could have."

"You didn't deserve what happened to you in Seattle." She whispered, looking at the boy who now had pain emanating from his eyes.

"No one does." He agreed. He turned to the girl and asked, "Are you ready to go?" She blew out a breath and nodded as she got up from the table. The boy followed suit as they exited the janitor's closet.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home." He offered, extending his arm. She smiled softly and took it as he led her to his car. He opened the passenger door for Cat and let her take a seat. He closed the door and made his way to the other side when a familiar face caught his eye.

"I'll be right back." He said to the girl, before making his way towards the person.

"Is she okay?" Robbie asked.

"Is she okay?" Freddie hissed, "You have a lot of nerve asking that when we both know you are the reason she was upset in the first place."

The curly haired boy raised his hands in defense, "Look, I didn't mean for that to happen. It was a misunderstanding."

"You mean the part where you got caught saying that Cat was a mistake?" Robbie bowed his head in shame not able to look at the eyes of Freddie that sent beams of disappointment.

"I didn't mean that." He mumbled.

"Well whether you did or not, it is something that you should not have said. I get that you two aren't dating anymore and I lack the full story on that, but as her friend. Why would you say something that could potentially hurt her?" Freddie questioned.

Robbie scratched the back of his neck and let his arm drop back to his side, "I don't know. I just can't explain it. She was just hesitant because of Cat and it made me upset. Maybe it was because I realized what happened between us wasn't how I wanted it to go. When Cat and I broke up we never really talked about it, but just went back to being friends. I tried hard to go back to normal, but I just couldn't. So when she brought her up, I wanted to brush those feelings aside as fast as I could, but just not the way I intended to. You have to believe me when I say that I instantly regretted what I said."

Freddie sighed, "I don't know why I should believe you, but my inner feeling to see the good in people makes me. Maybe I'm a fool for it, but I don't think you're a bad guy Robbie. Believe me I have met bad people and I just think you made a mistake. A pretty idiotic one, but a mistake nonetheless."

"Thank you." Robbie noted, pleased someone understood him, "I'm sorry for what happened."

"I'm not who you should be saying sorry to. But understand that if you ever hurt her again I will break you." He noted before making his way back to his car, leaving Robbie standing by himself to ponder how he was going to get Cat to forgive him. The tech wiz took a seat in the driver seat of his car as the redhead looked at him curiously. He gave her a half smile and turned the key in the ignition.

The ride back to Cat's home went in comfortable silence. Freddie put the car in park as he looked at the redhead.

"You sure you are alright?" Freddie asked, concerned.

Cat looked at the boy and nodded slowly, "It might take some time, but I think I will get over it. What you said was right. I thought about it during the ride back. I was just some girl to Robbie. I thought I meant something to him, but I guess I know the truth now."

Freddie winced a little as he realized the advice he gave Cat, stemmed from the issues he had with the people back in Seattle. He inadvertently applied it to the situation between Robbie and Cat without even realizing it.

"Listen, Cat." He started, "What I said may have come from a bad place."

"I don't understand." She exclaimed, confused.

The boy blew out a breath as he explained, "When you asked why he would do something like that, it just brought back memories of Seattle and what I had gone through there. What I didn't realize is that Robbie and you are nothing like Carly, Sam, and I. You two were legitimate friends and even a couple at one point while I was just a punching bag to Sam and a lap dog for Carly."

"But he said-"

"I know." Freddie interrupted, "You felt betrayed and hurt which you have every right to feel, but I think he made a mistake. A pretty idiotic one as I put it to him, but a mistake nonetheless. You may not think so at this very moment, but he still cares about you and you probably care about him still too."

"I just don't think I can forgive him that easily."

"I understand." Freddie agreed, thinking about the people he avoided, "All I am saying is give it time and give him a chance to make up for what he said. From there it is up to you to decide what you think is best for you. That is most important."

She nodded her head taking in what the boy said, "I'll keep that in mind."

"That is all I can ask."

She got out of the car and walked towards the driver side window. She bent over and said, "Thank you. For being there."

He gave a knowing smile, "No problem, happy to be there for a friend."

She smiled before a thought crossed her mind, "Will you ever forgive them? Carly and Sam."

He frowned upon noting he wasn't sure whether there was a definitive answer to the redhead's question.

"They say time heals all wounds, so I guess we will see. Right now though I can't be certain we will ever be good." He explained. The redhead gave a small nod before the pair parted ways. The redhead going inside and Freddie driving back to his hotel room.

 _Benson Hotel Room_

Freddie laid in bed as he stared at the photo in his hand. It was a picture of Carly, Sam, and him taken at a party. He let out a small smile seeing one moment where the trio were all genuinely happy. The boy frowned as he realized those days were long gone.

"One happy moment doesn't overlook years of torment." He thought to himself placing the photo aside.

 _Hollywood Arts High School_ \- _Sikowitz's Class_

"And scene." Freddie exclaimed, looking at his peers. He performed the scene as best as he could, but judging by the reaction of the other students and Sikowtiz, he would of thought he failed. The boy noticed the lack of applause even from his friends, although Tori gave him a look that said she wanted to but couldn't.

"Well did I pass?" The boy asked, awaiting any form of response. The room was currently in a state of pin drop silence following his performance.

"Nope." Sikowitz exclaimed, "You failed."

Tori winced involuntarily, remembering those dreaded words when she had to take part in this tradition. The boy raised his brow as he looked at his strange teacher and asked, "May I ask why?"

"You just failed. Nothing more to say." Sikowitz answered bluntly. The boy looked a bit frustrated when he glanced at Tori. She let out a small smile and mouthed, "Confidence."

He let out a small smirk as he looked back at his teacher, "Well I thought I did great."

"But you failed."

Freddie shrugged his shoulders, "No offense, but I don't care what you think. I thought I performed that piece as best as I could. If no one else liked it, so be it, but I for one am proud." He gave a boyish grin as he looked a Tori who gave him a nod and a smile.

"Well done, Freddie." Sikowitz exclaimed, "You my friend have just passed the bird scene." He started clapping as the rest of the class followed. The acting teacher made his way to the front of the class as he noted, "You see my goal is to teach you actors and actresses to be confident in your work. You are always going to run into someone who says you're not good enough, but you will only ever fail when you think you aren't good enough."

"So that's why you told me to be confident!" Freddie exclaimed as Tori simply nodded.

"Well now that we have gotten that out of the way, I think you've now earned the opportunity to sign up." Sikowitz pointed out, handing the boy the sign up sheet for the play. The tech wiz let out a small smile as he wrote his name on the sheet.

The rest of the day went by like usual. As the day progressed the boy's happiness continued to escalate. Seeing Cat and Robbie exchanging in small talk brought a small smile to his face. It wasn't much, but it was a start for them to get back on track to becoming friends again. As the final bell tolled, Freddie met up with Tori, Beck, André, and Jade.

"So how about we grab some food." Freddie exclaimed, "My treat."

"As tempting as that sounds, I got some work that I need to do for class." André declined, glumly, "Maybe another time?"

"Sounds cool man." Freddie noted as the pair exchanged in a one arm hug.

"By the way that gym offer still stands. You should join Beck and I some time." The songsmith exclaimed as he walked away from the rest of group.

"Well what about you three?" Freddie asked, turning towards the couple and Tori. Jade let out a small smile as she formulated a plan in her head.

"Yeah that sounds go-"

"WE CAN'T." Jade shouted, interrupting her boyfriend. She gave him a look that she knew only he could understand, "We have that -uh test to to study for right?"

"Right." Beck noted, understanding the look Jade gave meant to play along and she would explain later.

"Well I would be happy to join you." Tori exclaimed, earning her a boyish grin from Freddie and a weird smile from Jade.

"Great, well have fun you two." Jade noted, giving a playful look at her half-brother before taking Beck's hand and walking away as he gave a small smile that showed he was somewhat confused.

"Well that was weird." Tori pointed out, raising a brow.

"You can say that again." Freddie agreed, "Well, I guess it's just the two of us."

"Yup." The girl noted as the pair stood around, their eyes wandering to their surroundings. For some reason there was a weird tension between them that they just couldn't explain.

"We should go." Freddie hastily exclaimed. The girl nodded in agreement, sort of happy it wasn't only her that felt a bit strange. The pair made their way to the car as they pulled out of the school parking lot. Thankfully the pair were able to exchange in regular conversation on the way to the restaurant. Any strangeness they may have felt was gone and it left them both assuming it was just a random feeling that was gone.

"So tell me something." Freddie started, getting the attention of the songstress, "How were you able to get that mask off?"

The girl took a sip of her drink and laughed, "Well Cat and Trina quickly ushered me off stage and applied the remover while Beck and the others stalled the performance by doing some improv dancing."

"And then you finally got it off."

"Yup. You have no idea how much of a relief it was. I mean now that I look at it, the mask made it seem like an extra creative touch, but at the time I just wanted that dreaded thing off of my face. It was so hot underneath that thing."

The pair chuckled as they continued eating their meals. Tori swallowed her food and asked, "So what about you? You got any crazy stories?"

"Too many to count." He recollected, "Being on iCarly we did a lot of crazy things, granted some were pretty stupid, but it was a lot of fun. I guess you could day those are some of the good memories I have from Seattle with Carly and Sam."

"Have you tried talking to them since leaving?" Tori asked, before regretting the question, "I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

"Don't be sorry." Freddie waved off, "You are trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together like everyone else. I can't say I blame you for being curious. Everyone seems to be interested in the life of Freddie Benson as long as it has something to do with Carly and Sam."

Tori sighed as she noted, "You're right. I am interested in what happened, but not for the same reason as everyone else." The boy looked at her as he awaited further explanation, "I care about you Freddie. You are a good guy and... It just bothers me to see you looking so sad all the time. Today was one of the first days since you were here that I thought you were truly happy."

Freddie opened his mouth to argue, but shut it when he realized she was right. Tori took a breath as she continued, "I want to help you Freddie."

"How?" He asked, before quickly stating, "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what you are trying to do. You are probably one of the only people that seems to care more about how I feel than the story attached to my departure from Seattle, but... Even you have to admit I am pretty messed up. I don't think anyone including you can help me."

"You're wrong." She whispered firmly, placing her hand on top of his, "I know what you went through in Seattle is hard to let go of, but it isn't impossible."

"What makes you so sure?"

She rubbed her thumb on his hand and looked at his eyes, "I'm not sure to be honest, but... That isn't going to stop me from giving up."

"Why are you doing all this for me?" He asked, trying to figure out how someone like him managed to find a person so caring as the girl in front of him.

Tori shrugged her shoulders, "Like I said, I am not like the others. I want you to find peace with your past." The boy took the hand Tori had placed on his and planted a quick kiss on it.

"Thank you." He whispered.

She simply smiled in return as the pair went back to eating the rest of their food. One again that tension between them arose, but this time they didn't mind it. Both of them understood what it meant and wish they could act on it, but now was not the time.

 _Benson Hotel Room_

The boy laid his keys on the table before taking a seat on the couch. He was happy to have some quiet after a very busy day. Freddie opened his laptop sitting on the coffee table and opened up The Slap. He read some of his friends other posts, some invoking a couple chuckles, more so from the posts of the excitable redhead.

The Galaxy Wars ringtone removed any calm built up as the boy sighed and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Jade?" Freddie asked, curious as to why the girl was calling him, "What's up?"

"Do you mind if I come over?" The boy glanced around his hotel room and kind of winced. It wasn't the best place to meet he had to admit, but it was a place to stay nonetheless.

"Sure, but how about I come to you." He suggested.

"No it's fine, just give me your address and I will be on my way." She insisted. The boy complied and the call disconnected shortly after. The boy quickly cleaned up a bit before the knock of the door came shorty after. Freddie walked over and opened the door to reveal his half sister.

"Hey." He exclaimed, moving aside to let her inside.

"So this is the famous Benson hideout." She remarked walking inside towards the small sitting area.

"I know it's not much." Freddie agreed, closing the door and making his way towards the girl, "But I guess it serves its purpose for me."

"You know I've always wondered what hotel living would be like." Jade exclaimed, "I dreamt as a kid that I would be a famous singer that would have world tours and the works."

"Well let me tell you the hotel life is not as glamorous as they make it out to be." He admitted, "That is unless you are interested in trashing the place."

"Very funny." She replied sarcastically, before letting out a small chuckle, "Have you tried finding an apartment or something like that?"

The boy nodded as he took a seat on the couch beside her, "I've tried everything. Asked kids at school, friends at work, even found myself searching online, but most usually don't have anything or the small portion are just... Strange. If I do so put it."

"Welcome to Hollywood. Home of the freaks and geeks." Jade pointed out.

He nodded in agreement before asking, "So what brings you here anyway?"

"We might have a problem." She exclaimed, standing up.

"And what is that?"

"Beck is starting to get really curious about us." She admitted.

"What do you mean by curious?"

She glanced out the window as she noted, "I don't know. He just thinks it's weird that I don't hate your guts."

The boy couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "Hate my guts?"

The girl nodded more seriously as she retook her seat beside the boy, "You see I am not a big fan of new faces. I guess you can call me narrow-minded or whatever, but it's really hard for me to let people in and Beck knows that. With you though for some reason I was pretty darn friendly and after finding out about our "special" bond, we are even more close. "

"I guess I understand why he might find it weird, but I spoke to him that day at the beach. I mean he understands that we are close because we can understand each other."

"I know but, he just seems to be really curious as to why." Jade replied, "I read online that couples have a better ability of understanding each other. It's probably a bunch of crap, but I know when something gets on Beck's mind, he won't stop poking around until he finds out."

"You mean look into my past." Freddie exclaimed, understanding the issue at hand.

"Sometimes I think it is easier to just come clean and tell everyone that we are half siblings." She groaned, rubbing her temples.

"That is exactly what we are going to do." Jade's eyes popped back open as she realized what it was the boy had said.

"Are you sure?" She asked, following him towards where his camera bag was.

"I am if you are." He admitted, unzipping the bag and pulling out his trusty camera, "Hello old friend." He whispered, before looking back at his sister and saying, "Why should we hide that we are related? All it does it raise suspicions from others who will make up stupid rumors."

"I can handle them." Jade pointed out, understanding she was the alpha female at school. It was something she admitted she took a great deal of pride in being. It just ensured that no one bothered her.

"I know you can, but I am just tired of hiding." The boy pointed out, "I am already hiding my past in Seattle, but I don't want to do the same to my life here in L.A. This is my chance to find a better life and I don't want anymore secrets. I wish I could just scream from the roof of this building and say what happened in Seattle, but that doesn't involve only me but everyone else back there. As angry as I am at them I know it might ruin their lives and I wouldn't anyone to go through what I did."

"Okay, Freddie. Let's do it." The pale girl agreed, giving an assuring smile to her half-brother, "How are we going to do it?"

"Well I was thinking about posting a video on The Slap with the two of us and letting that be it. From there people can come up with whatever theories they want. We can further explain the story to our friends if we want, but otherwise we aren't required to really say anything else."

"At least those rumors will fade away." The girl pointed out, remembering the brief period where people thought she was cheating on Beck with Freddie. She involuntarily winced just thinking of that prospect.

Ok, just need to plug in this wire and we should be good to go." Freddie exclaimed, connecting the wire to his laptop. He took a seat on the couch beside Jade after positioning the camera on the tripod to record them.

"You ready?" He asked his half-sister. She gave a nod as he tapped a few keys and the camera began to record.

"Hi I'm Freddie Benson."

"And I'm Jade West."

"Now you're all probably wondering what is that we are doing." Freddie exclaimed, "Well we have decided that we were tired of the rumors spread about us.'

"We're talking about the morons like you Todd341." Jade exclaimed, remembering he was the person that kept spamming her message box calling her a cheater.

"So I guess it's best to just come out and say it." Freddie said to Jade.

"Might as well." She noted before whispering to him, "Should you say it or should I?"

"Let's do it together." He noted, earning him a small smile from the pale girl, "In five, four, three, two... We are half-siblings." They both declared in unison.

"Now I know you are all probably wondering how on Earth this is possible, but that is none of your concern." Jade pointed out.

"Well that's all there is to it." Freddie noted, "So goodbye."

The pale girl simply leaned back on the couch in satisfaction as Freddie ended the recording and exclaimed feeling a bit nostalgic,

"And we are clear."

 **AN: And that is the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading. My goodness it feels amazing to FINALLY be able to release another chapter. I apologize for leaving you all hanging for so long. The story has become more popular than I had expected and I cannot say enough how appreciative I am of all of the support you as readers have been giving me.**

 **If you have any comments or feedback I would love to hear from you and I will get back to you in the following chapter.**

 **Challenge King: Thank you for your review. Freddie has been through a lot in his life which is why I think he is able to give good advice. You can see in this chapter however he is not always the best person to seek advice from as he is going through some struggles himself.**

 **Austin: Thank you for your review. I am happy to hear you have been enjoying this story thus far. Hears hoping your joy for this story only continues to be greater. Just a quick question, What has been your favorite part of the story thus far?**

 **Stars r fallin: Thank you for your review. As a reader I understand the difficulty of having to wait for an update. I try my best to be able to post chapters consistently, but as you can see from the gap between this chapter and the last it is not always possible. I do hope that the gap between chapters won't be as long as this one was.**

 **duskrider: Thank you for your review. When I came up with this story I was originally unsure of how the sibling dynamic would work between Freddie and Jade. The pair have always been show in other fanfics as close friends or as a romance. I am glad to see that my unique twist on the pair has been taking positively. I hope I can continue to be creative as the following chapters come out.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I'm back and boy oh boy has it been a long, long time. I am so sorry for leaving all of you hanging for waaay too long. I came across this story after so long and knew it was incredibly unfair to leave it off like that. You deserve to see it completed and as a writer I can't leave a story like this left unfinished. So without further more I give you the continued story. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 6:

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Hallway_

It was a strange scene at Hollywood Arts High School as Freddie and Jade stepped inside. It was just yesterday that they had declared to the world they were siblings and they expected nothing but chaos at school. Sure enough they received looks from their peers and heard the gossiping between them as they walked towards their lockers, but that wasn't what bothered them. It was the absolute silence they received from their group of friends.

"Did you hear anything from Beck yet?" Freddie asked, opening his locker and placing his binders inside.

Jade shook her head as she checked her messages once again. She had messaged Beck several times after the announcement and she even tried calling him, but got nothing but voicemails. She initially thought he just needed some time to process all the craziness, but it was the next day and she didn't even get a 'hey' or 'whoa'. Did he feel betrayed by her for not telling him? After that day on the beach, the couple had worked hard to share every aspect of their lives with each other, but when the topic of Freddie came up, she was always evasive not wanting to let Beck know what was going on. Instead she told him nothing and followed it up by announcing it to the whole world.

"I'm sure he's not mad." Freddie assured, noticing his half-sister lost in her thoughts. He felt bad. It was his crazy idea after all to spontaneously drop the news on everyone, but like Jade he had heard nothing back from anyone. He tried Tori, Andre, Cat, and even Robbie, but it was if they had all vanished.

"Is it true?" A voice asked, drawing the two siblings out of their own thoughts. They looked to see a freshman girl clutching her binders trying to hold in her anxiousness. The half-siblings exchanged a look when they noticed her iCarly shirt behind her jean jacket.

"Yeah it is." The former tech producer noted, figuring she was asking about him and Jade.

"So you left Seattle because you cheated on Carly and you got caught?" She said surprised at his admittance.

"WHAT?" Freddie asked, confused, "I didn't cheat on Carly, we weren't even dating. What are you talking about?"

"I used to love you Freddie. You were my favorite one on iCarly, but I can't believe you would do that to Carly. And you abandoned them after that." The girl pointed out, before walking away back to her group of friends. The duo watched as she broke the news to them and heard the increased chatter among them.

"What the hell was that?" Jade questioned as Freddie looked confused.

"I have no idea." Freddie replied, completely taken aback by what the girl had just said to him. Here he had thought all the weirdness from the other kids was because of his and Jade's announcement, but there was something else going on. His eyes caught Sinjin who was across the hall playing with his camera.

"Come on." He motioned at Jade, who followed him, "Hey Sinjin." He called out, drawing his attention, "Have you seen Tori, Beck or the rest of the gang?"

"Who me? No, why would I know? It's not like they told me not to say anything, that would be just crazy." He rambled on, giving a nervous look.

"Are you okay? You seem kind of nervous." Freddie pointed out.

"Me nervous? Psht come on. I'm calm, completely calm."

Jade gave him a glare before asking, "Sinjin tell me, now."

The boy looked at the girl nervously before blurting out, "The rec room across the asphalt café. But look don't tell them I told you. It was supposed to be a surprise."

Freddie gave him a reassuring nod as the pair made their way to the rec room. They opened the door and were taken aback by the sight. Cat, Tori, Beck, Robbie, and Andre all stood in the room with party hats. The room was creatively split in half by blue and pink tape to symbolize the half siblings and there was a table that had all sorts of food and even a cake. The hats the group wore were also half-blue and half-pink. The group turned to the duo, unaware of their presence. It took Tori one look to note the sadness and confusion on the face of Freddie. The group had been waiting to surprise the pair with a celebration party before they had read the news online of the rumors being spread about Freddie.

"I'm sorry Freddie." The songstress softly said, giving the boy a hug.

"What is all this?" Jade asked, looking around at the decorations.

"Well when we found out about you two being siblings or half-siblings we were pretty shocked to be honest. Especially since you two didn't feel like you could tell us." Andre explained, "We all ended up at Tori's house and we realized that it didn't matter because you two are our friends."

"We didn't care what everyone was saying about you two." Beck noted, walking towards Jade and holding her, "So we wanted to show you we supported you guys by throwing a party. It must be crazy to find out you have a half-brother or that out you have a half-sister, but we wanted to be able to show that it shouldn't change anything."

"It is kinda weird though" Rex exclaimed before Tori covered his mouth and said, "What Rex was saying is that even though we do have soome questions, you guys are still Freddie and Jade to us. You two being related isn't going to change that."

"But then we heard the rumors about Freddie online." Cat noted sadly, "We don't think they are true Freddie. You're a good guy, you wouldn't do something like that."

"Heck yeah. You're still my bro Freddie! Completely whole bro not half like you and Jade." Andre said in agreement with Cat.

The boy let out small chuckle, "Thanks and thanks to all of you for throwing us this party. It's nice to know you guys don't hate us for not telling you before everyone else." Freddie admitted.

"Hate you?" Beck laughed, "No way dude. The only reason we didn't respond to your guys texts and calls was because we didn't want to let the surprise slip out."

"It's okay if you're not in the mood anymore Freddie." Tori whispered to him, holding his hand. She hated that these rumors popped up out of nowhere just when Freddie was getting his life back on track in L.A. She knew he would need her now more than ever and she was ready to step up to the plate to be there for him.

The former tech producer turned to the pale brunette standing beside him, "What do you think Jade?"

The group looked at Jade in anticipation. She let out a smirk and exclaimed, "Yeah sure, why not." The group cheered as Cat played the music and the group began to talk and have fun as they started distributing plates and drinks.

"You sure you're okay?" Jade whispered to her half-brother, "You don't have to do this for me."

The boy let out a small reassuring smile, "I'm fine. It honestly feels good knowing everything is out in the open and we don't have to hide anymore."

"I agree."

"Hey Freddie." Cat called out, "Come on and dance!"

"Well, you heard the lady." Freddie exclaimed as he made his way towards the redhead as they danced along to the music.

Tori came up beside Jade as the pair watched the boy dance and laugh with the redhead, "The rumors got to him." Jade exclaimed, "He may not want to admit it, but you should have seen the hurt on his face. He was putting up a brave front, but he knows his reputation here has been shattered. It doesn't even matter if he denies it, people are never going to believe anything that he says." The girl knew of this all too well. It didn't take long for rumors to once spread like wildfire that Beck and Tori were supposedly seeing each other behind her back. She wore a mean face to school, but when she was alone was when it got to her. It didn't help that at the time she was insecure about Tori taking over her spot as the lead in every play, starring right alongside Beck.

"How could they do something like this to him?" Tori questioned bringing Jade out of her thoughts. The pale girl could sense the anger laced in her voice.

The pale brunette arched her pierced eyebrow at the use of 'they', "You think Carly and Sam had something to do with this?"

"It wouldn't surprise me. Freddie was telling me how they were looking for him. They want to drag him back to Seattle, back to that hell. Sam would definitely have no guilt in doing something like this, but I don't know about Carly." Tori explained. There was no way she was letting Freddie put himself back into the same situation he managed to escape. He hadn't told her a lot about Seattle, but she knew enough to know it was not what anyone should call home.

"I'm not sure. Desperation can do a lot to people and Carly always struck me as a girl that always gets her way and won't stop until she does. It wouldn't surprise me if it was their plan to ruin his life in L.A. and manipulate him into coming back with them."

"This time it's going to be different. He's not going to be facing them alone." Tori exclaimed.

"No, he's not." Jade agreed as the frenemies looked on at Freddie who was now joking around with Beck and Andre. Tori and Jade agreeing on something was a sight rarer than a blue moon, but the one thing they had in common was that they cared deeply for Freddie. Carly and Sam were going to be coming to L.A. at some point and they had to make sure that Freddie had people he could count on when they did. As strong as the boy was for leaving Seattle, seeing old faces and having old wounds reopened would be tough for him. He would not be able to do it alone and would essentially be cornered by Carly and Sam. The two frenemies both knew it and they would have to be on the same page to stop that from happening.

* * *

 _Puckett Residence_

Sam laid on her bed browsing social media on her phone. She had a content look on her face as she read the comments from iCarly fans all over the world.

"Freddie is a nub. Who cheats on a girl like Carly Shay? #cheater" One posted.

"He didn't deserve Carly anyway. He's probably dating Jade and they are pretending to be related. #sick #TeamCarly" Another had mentioned. The hashtag #TeamCarly was trending crazily among the fans.

She chuckled realizing her plan was moving along perfectly. After Carly had decided that they were going to L.A. to bring Freddie back, she devised the perfect plan. The blonde knew the best way to bring him back would be to destroy his life in Los Angeles by planting the idea in his peers heads that he was a cheater. That the reason he left Seattle was because he was guilty of cheating. It was also to her advantage the fact that Freddie till that point had remained extremely guarded with his past in Seattle and the people at Hollywood Arts were thirsting to find any reason why Freddie Benson left iCarly and came to L.A. All she had to do was post a timely message after Freddie and Jade's announcement and quickly delete it to cover her tracks. From there the rest would be the fans coming up with theories and rumors that would add fuel to the fire.

When they would go to L.A., Freddie would obviously hate her guts, but Carly would be the one to tell the world the rumors were false and save the day and his reputation. Freddie would be grateful to Carly and that would do wonders in her crazy plan to bring him back to Seattle. Truth be told, she didn't really care much for bringing him back. She thought Brad was a much better tech producer and less of a nub. Plus, he made excellent brownies. Freddie left them high and dry anyway and if it weren't for her best friend's desire to reconcile with him, she would have gone on with her life assuming he was abducted by aliens.

The blonde let out a satisfied sigh as the messages continued to come in bulk, all except for one or two people taking the side of Freddie, like some random nerd named Sinjin.

"SAM!" She heard someone shout from downstairs. She sat upright in her bed as the sound of heavy footsteps climbed the stairs and her room door burst open. It was Carly Shay and she was absolutely livid.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" She yelled, holding her phone with hundreds of messages she had gotten from fans.

"Calm down Carls." Sam nonchalantly replied, getting off her bed and grabbing the soda that was on her desk.

The brunette web hostess was briefly taken aback by Sam's carefree attitude before the anger crept back in again, "Why would you tell everyone that Freddie left Seattle because he cheated on me?"

"I didn't say anything, my profile page is empty." She replied coyly, taking a sip of her soda.

"Don't act stupid Samantha." Carly exclaimed. Sam placed down her soda can. Carly was taking this much more serious than Sam would have thought. She knew this because Carly never called her Samantha unless she was really mad.

"Look I did it to help you." Sam confessed.

The brunette let out a disbelieving chuckle, "To help me? How on Earth would lying that Freddie and I dated or that he cheated on me help me?" Sam was about to speak, but Carly cut her off to continue, "If anything Freddie is probably ready to pretend we never existed. So thank you Sam, thank you for ruining any chance we had of bringing him back."

"Oh would you open your eyes Carly!" The blonde shouted, "He was NEVER coming back. You've called him what, at least one hundred times? Sent him like fifty messages. He never responded because he doesn't want anything to do with us anymore. What were you planning on doing going to L.A.? You thought you could say 'please for me' and he would crawl back to you?"

"That doesn't explain why you would do this to him? Why would you let people believe he's a cheater?" The brunette asked, knowing that much to her annoyance Sam was right in that aspect in that Freddie hadn't replied to any of her messages or voicemails. She still had hope there was a chance to bring Freddie back, even though they hadn't spoken since the night she found out he wasn't coming to film iCarly.

"Because that was the only way!" The blonde girl replied, "L.A. is all he has right now and if people started hating him there then he wouldn't be able to stay. You'd be the one to save him Carly. You'd be the one to tell the world what was said wasn't true and that he is a good guy and then you could finally admit to him and yourself that _you_ Carly Shay love him." Sam explained to her friend. She never wanted to say it, but ever since Freddie left it was clear as day that Carly loved Freddie. It wasn't as one-sided as it was made out to be. Carly just never wanted to admit it and used other boys to hide those feelings.

There was a dead silence in the room as the air got colder. The sound of the wind rattling the branches outside could be heard as the pair looked at each other both unsure of what to say next.

Sam finally spoke quietly, "There is a reason you came here first before telling fans the rumors weren't true."

"I wanted to give my best friend a chance to explain themselves."

"That wasn't it." The blonde pointed out, rejecting the brunette's answer, "It was because deep down you wanted the rumors to be true. Maybe not the cheating part, but the part that you and Freddie were dating. Maybe I might have gone too far with the whole cheating stuff, but don't deny it anymore Carly. I see it. Every time we are doing iCarly, I see the looks you give to the camera. Hoping and praying that somewhere Freddie is watching you and still loves you the way he once did. This is your chance Carly. Go to L.A. and save him and let him know that Carly Shay is the one for him."

"I don't know what to think anymore Sam. I understood that you hated Freddie and liked annoying him, but you have ruined his life. I'm not sure I can be friends with someone that could do that. I can't try to win Freddie back and let you treat him that way." Carly admitted, before a wave of revelation hit her. She let Sam treat Freddie like crap for years and she never did anything. Sam may have been his enemy, but she was the horrible friend that stood by and pretended nothing was wrong. She shook her head as she whispered out, "You're right. I do love Freddie, but I don't deserve him."

"So you're not going to L.A.?"

"I am going to L.A., to fix the mess you've made and that's it." The brunette replied.

The blonde let out a small disbelieving chuckle, "So that's it? After all that, you're not going to fight for him?"

"I owe Freddie the choice to decide for himself what he wants." Carly noted, walking out of the blonde's room before stopping between the doorway. She turned to the blonde, "This is goodbye Sam. I don't think you should stop by my apartment anymore. I just need time and space away from you to process everything."

The blonde was stunned and hurt by the words Carly had spoken, "But Carls, what about iCarly we can't just kill it off?"

"iCarly was dead after Freddie left." Carly muttered. She gave one last look at her long time friend and walked away in what could have been their last conversation... ever.

* * *

 _L.A. Gym and Fitness Center_

Beck and Andre gasped for air as they laid on the gym floor. Freddie had joined them today and suggested for the two of them try fencing. After showing them the basics and letting them spar for a bit he decided to have a little fun. He challenged the two of them to go against him. Beck and Andre had each gotten a touch on him to start and they felt pretty good about themselves. Little did they know, Freddie was letting them have one.

"Come on Benson, is that all you got?" Andre playfully taunted. Freddie let out a smirk and put his mask back on. The duo attacked the boy, but he swiftly dodged their attacks and knocked both boys onto the floor, pointing the sabre down at the fallen pair.

"Maybe taunting him wasn't such a good idea." Beck whispered to Andre who nodded in painful agreement, as the boy helped both of them up. From that point forward the trio continued to spar as occasionally Freddie gave them tips and tricks he had learned through his time fencing with Spencer. It didn't take long for Andre and Beck to become completely gassed as they were not yet used to fencing for so long. To make matters worse, the trio had decided to lift weights after the fact. Not wanting to be outdone by Freddie, the two lifted the same weights as him, despite him lifting much more than they previously had ever done. Andre needed Freddie to help him with the last bench press, before he collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Beck followed suit shortly after.

"I don't know how you're still standing Freddie." Beck exclaimed.

"Believe me, I might pass out when I walk into my hotel room." Freddie admitted. It had been a while since he had hit the gym and done such an intensive workout.

"Speaking of hotel room, any luck finding an apartment or roommate type situation?" Beck asked curiously. He knew Freddie was actively looking to get out of his hotel room as it was kind of far from school and wasn't the greatest of places.

The brunette boy shook his head, "Nope unfortunately nothing yet." He had searched for a while now, but wasn't able to find much. The one apartment he had found was an absolute mess. Damaged walls, leaky faucet. It was like the basement back in Ridgeway before Gibby had converted it into a restaurant.

"I would let you stay at my place, but my parents aren't really big on the whole tenant thing." Beck exclaimed. Aside from that his parents were incredibly controlling at times, partially why he moved into the RV so he could have some sense of independence.

"Yeah and I don't think you want to live with my grandma and I." Andre added, "She can be kind of... - Yeah I get it." Freddie interrupted, "It's alright guys I appreciate your help anyway."

Beck snapped his fingers as an idea came to his head, "You know, I just remembered that Ms. West is a real estate agent. Maybe she could help you find a place?"

"Jade never told me her mom was an agent." Freddie noted, "I'll speak with her about it. Thanks Beck."

"No problemo." He noted, "Now can you do me a favour?"

"Sure."

"Help us up." Beck groaned, too tired to stand up, "I think you might have to carry me to your car."

The former tech producer laughed as he helped up Beck and Andre. The trio made their way back to Freddie's car with Andre and Beck moving very slowly. When they got outside they were in shock. Freddie's mouth opened when he saw the word 'cheater' written on the back of his car. Luckily it was still wet which made it come off fairly easy, but it still left a fairly ugly mark he'd probably have to use touch-up paint on.

"Just ignore it." Andre assured, "It's probably some crazy Creddie fan that got mad at the rumors." Freddie's mind flashed back to the Creddie and Seddie ship war that occurred when they went to Comic Con. It was an absolute mess and Freddie knew it was a bad idea to cross those fans.

"Cheater!" Someone shouted. Freddie turned to see a teenage boy standing near the parking lot with his phone camera pointing at him.

"I'm not a cheater!" The former tech producer shouted, feeling the anger and frustration begin to grow inside him.

"Why'd you do it?" The teenager continued, "Is that why you came to L.A.? Because you were guilty?"

"Freddie let's go man." Beck whispered, trying to diffuse the situation. Freddie agreed as he opened the driver side door.

"Do rental places accept cars with 'cheater' written on it?" The boy continued, trying to further antagonize Freddie.

"This was you?" Freddie asked, slamming his car door and walking towards the boy.

"Shit." Beck noted as both Andre and him ran up to Freddie and pushed him back from getting close to the teen.

"You know it's probably a good thing she doesn't have to deal with you. You were probably more her bitch than her boyfriend anyway."

"Freddie let it go man." Andre exclaimed as both Beck and him were stopping Freddie from lunging at the boy who was scared enough to stop filming and run away. Freddie turned back towards his car frustrated and kicked a glass bottle nearby that shattered as it hit the curb. He sat in the car gripping the steering wheel tightly in anger.

"Look man, this is going to blow over." Beck assured, "But you need to stay cool. You've already gotten into one fight before this. Beating up a crazy fan isn't going to help prove your case that the rumors aren't true. It's going to make you look guilty."

"You don't want to get kicked out of school because of this." Andre added, "Let them think what they want. We know the truth and that's what matters."

Freddie blew out a breath and nodded at the advice from his friends. He was glad they were there to stop him from doing something he would have regretted. The former tech producer started the car as Beck saw a newly uploaded video online titled, "Freddie Benson of iCarly Goes Crazy on Fan". The video was edited so that it only showed Freddie lunging at the boy while him and Andre held him back. He looked at Andre who had also seen the video. This was going to be a long couple of weeks.

* * *

 _West Residence_

The pale brunette stepped into her home. It was a long and eventful day and she wanted to do nothing more than to relax in peace. She grabbed a snack from the pantry and took a seat in front of the TV. She was about to turn it on when she heard the sound of heels clicking behind her.

"Jadelyn West." Her mother called out. The girl turned around to see her mom, "Did you and Freddie post a video online announcing that you were related?"

"Yeah, we did mom." Jade admitted, "We didn't want to keep it a secret anymore."

"Oh for crying out loud Jade."

"I don't get what the big deal is?"

"How could you be so reckless?" The older West exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" The pale brunette questioned, standing up, "I thought you would be happy about it!"

"Oh honey." Ms. West exclaimed, placing her hands on her heart, "I am, but it's not that part that I'm upset about."

"Then what is it?"

"You've just let your father know that his first child is now in Los Angeles." She explained. Jade swallowed slowly realizing they hadn't really thought of that. The pair's father still resided in Los Angeles and the news was sure to come to him soon enough. Her father kept up with her Slap page and on even rarer occasions he'd come to one of her plays at school. She didn't actively communicate with him though, apart from the annual birthday card that only had 'from, Dad' written below the generic message. She held her father in contempt since she had learned about the full story. She couldn't even begin to manage how Freddie felt about him considering he had zero contact with him his entire life.

"He's going to weasel his way into Freddie's life and make it seem like it was his mom's fault." The older West continued, "That's what he does Jade. Don't you remember when you were seven?" Jade flashed back to the day when her father surprised her by coming to her school. It would just so have it that Ms. West was running late that day and Jade had to wait for her at school. Jade sat there while her father told her about how her mother didn't want him to see her because she was selfish and didn't care how she felt. He continued going on about how when they married, she was more concerned about her job than she was about their family. Seven year old Jade sat on the bench in tears as he quickly left just before Ms. West's car pulled up. Her mother rushed out to see her crying and asked her what was wrong, but Jade didn't want to hear it. It was the first fight she had with her mother and it was because she was naive enough to believe that her father cared for her.

"I'm sorry mom." The girl apologized partly for not believing her back when she was seven. The older West simply hugged her daughter and kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay my little Jade. Just promise me to keep an eye out and not let Freddie fall for any tricks that man pulls."

"I promise."

The pair broke their hug as her mother wiped the small tear on Jade's face, "Now what do you want for dinner?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs." They both said in unison before laughing.

"Sure thing." Her mother said, making her way towards the kitchen. Jade took a seat back on the couch and blew out a breath. Things were going to be getting much more complicated for the two siblings.

* * *

 _Benson Hotel Room_

Jade had an exhausting day, but her half-brother was facing an even more tiresome one. Amidst the announcement, the false rumors, and the confrontation with the fan, it seemed today could not have gotten any worse for him. He tossed his car keys onto the table and sat down on the couch. He opened his laptop to see his Slap page. He had left it open the night before and seeing the insane amount of messages he had waiting for him made him groan. He closed the browser and grabbed his controller and headset.

"Time to play some games." He exclaimed, seeking an escape to keep his mind off the problems he had going on. His cursor was on the game icon when he saw a video chat request pop open. His eyes slightly bulged open when he saw the name that accompanied it: Sam Puckett.

"No way." He exclaimed. Out of all the people in the world Sam was the last person he wanted to talk to and ever expected to call him. The cursor moved back and forth between accept and decline. Just as he was about to finally give in and press accept, the request ended. The boy shrugged it off until he saw a video message left by Sam appear ten minutes later. He opened it up and watched.

"Hey Frednu- Freddie." She corrected. Freddie was surprised at the blonde's appearance. Her eyes were all puffy and it looked like she had been crying and a bit drunk, "I know I'm probably the last person you want to hear from and you'll probably just delete this message, but I wanted to tell you something, something that Carly isn't going to tell you. In case you don't know we're not really on speaking terms kind of like you two, but I figure I've got nothing to lose at this point."

The blonde took a deep breath as she looked around her room. She took a swig of what Freddie guessed was beer before turning back to the camera, "I might as well just come out and say it. Carly loves you. Yes, you heard me correctly. She probably might hate me even more for telling you this, but she would never admit it, especially not to you. Now you're probably wondering why on Earth I'm telling you something you've probably wanted to hear for years, especially considering you left us hanging high and dry for L.A. and your sister or half-sister... whatever. I guess this is my twisted way of apologizing to Carly by trying to tell you to hear her out. She's coming to Los Angeles, I don't know when because in case I failed to say it already she doesn't really want to talk to me at the moment. That's all I guess."

The boy's mouth was agape unsure of how to handle what Sam had just said. but the blonde still wasn't done. She finished off her drink and placed it next to the row of empty bottles laying behind her. She wiped her mouth and it looked like she was contemplating ending the message right there and then. She let out a chuckle and looked back at the camera with a dark expression, "You know what I'm not done. I want you to know that despite Carly's love for you, I told you this news for her happiness not yours. Like it or not, you broke her more than anything I could have done. I hope you realize that your decision may have been to leave your old life behind, but you raised hell in here Seattle when you did. You want to talk about selfishness and not caring about people, look in the mirror Freddie. You always place yourself on some kind of high horse like you're some noble saint that hasn't done anything wrong, but you didn't care about anyone here in Seattle. Spencer, Carly, and your mom loved you despite any mistakes they might have made. We hate each other, I get it, that's something that'll never change, but the one thing I admired in you was that no matter what issues we had with each other you were always there for Carly when she was suffering. When she was crying remembering her mom you were there. When her dad couldn't make a trip home you were there for her. But now Carly is suffering and not only are you not here anymore, but it's because of you that she's in so much pain. So I hope you're happy Freddie. You got what you wanted in L.A. New friends, new life, joy... well probably not anymore, judging by social media... Yikes... You might want to hire a PR person for that. It's alright, Carly will see what I see soon enough. Her love for you might be clouding her judgement right now, but she'll see you soon for the kind of guy you really are Freddie Benson."

The video ended and Freddie was at a loss for words. He felt a wave of different emotions crash at him. Surprise, anger, sadness, guilt, frustration, annoyance, everything seemed to come at him at once. He closed his laptop not feeling like playing games anymore. Instead he laid in bed, just staring at the ceiling. If you asked him yesterday, leaving Seattle was the greatest decision he ever made. Now he wasn't sure if the consequences of his departure were worth it.

 **AN: And that's the end of the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think. Thanks to everyone that supported this story and continued to even after my long hiatus. Stay tuned till next time.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

 _Hollywood Arts High School - Lane's Office_

The former tech producer sat on the worn out leather couch in the guidance counselor's office as he awaited for Mr. Alexander. He was pulled out of math class for what he was told was a routine counselor check-up that every student had. The boy had enough on his plate already with his audition for Samuel Holt's play being just a few days away and the workload both at school and the Pear store increasing. He had been spending a lot of time at Tori's house practicing with her for his audition. She was kind enough to give him tips and even some secrets she used in the past to knock her previous auditions out of the park. As grateful as the boy was, he still wasn't sure that he even had a chance of making the play as an extra let alone the main character. According to his friends, the first selection was always the hardest to get and a lot of times more experienced students were selected even if the newcomers had better auditions. The boy was barely in front of the camera on iCarly so he didn't even have that to make up for his lack of experience.

"Ah, Freddie. Thanks for coming. I hope everything is good." Lane exclaimed as he closed the door behind him and took a seat. He opened the filing cabinet behind him and grabbed a folder which the boy assumed was his. The guidance counselor pulled out his notebook and pen from his drawer as he looked at the boy, "So first off. I just want to ask how you are adjusting to Hollywood Arts?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders, "Pretty good I guess. I've had a lot of help for sure, but I think I'm getting the hang of where everything is."

"And your courses? Are you experiencing any difficulties?"

"Actually, they've been going really well. I think my experience on iCarly has come in handy for most of the tech courses. Acting and playing instruments are still kind of foreign to me though, but Tori, Jade, and Andre have all been kind enough to give me a hand. I've got to say Andre could probably teach a dog how to play the piano." Freddie exclaimed. Andre had been teaching him how to play the guitar and the boy was actually getting pretty good. Andre was a laid back teacher that didn't get frustrated when he had to go over the same concepts repeatedly.

"That's good to hear. Did you decide on an instrument?"

"Yup, the guitar."

"Interesting, what made you choose the guitar?" The counselor asked.

Freddie shrugged, "I've always kind of been interested in learning. Ridgeway didn't really have a great music department like over here so I never got the chance to try playing back in Seattle."

Lane nodded as he continued, "So I hear you're also going to be auditioning for Samuel Holt's play?"

"Yep." The boy confirmed. It wasn't lost on him that Lane had yet to take a single note during their conversation thus far.

"Excited?"

"I guess so." The boy cleared his throat and asked, "Is it alright if I ask you something?"

The guidance counselor put down his pen and nodded, "Sure, Freddie."

"Why am I actually here Mr. Alexander?"

The man chuckled, "Lane is just fine." The boy nodded as the man continued, "And you're here for a regular check-up. I like listening to how everything is going with all the students every couple of weeks or so." Lane reached over his desk and squirted some lotion onto his hands. He gestured the bottle to Freddie who politely declined the offer.

"I just... find it kind of odd." Freddie noted.

"And why is that?" Lane questioned, resting his now moisturized hands back on the desk.

"Because I haven't heard anyone else say anything about regular check-ups. Andre, Beck, and Jade have been here for a long time and they've never had a 'check-up' appointment before." Freddie explained. The gang had done a good job on filling him in on just about every little detail related to Hollywood Arts and he figured something like this would have been brought up in conversation. The boy let out a small breath, "With that being said, I was hoping you wouldn't lie to me or pretend I'm stupid. I've already had enough issues in the past with people that do."

"Okay, Freddie." He sighed, lifting his hands in defeat, "I did want to check up on you, that part is true. I also wanted to see how you were after the whole announcement with Jade and the messages I'm seeing online from other students about you being a... well... - a cheater?" Freddie asked, finishing the sentence. Lane nodded, clearing his throat, "Yes, that. As a staff member here, I am concerned with what is being said."

"Well it's not true if that's what you're wondering." The boy stated, leaning back on the couch crossing his arms, "The cheating part I mean."

Lane jotted down a note as he looked back up, "So you and Jade are half-siblings?" The boy nodded, confirming the statement, "How has that been for you?"

"It's been great." The boy simply noted, shrugging his shoulders.

"You haven't experienced any problems or felt different since the secret came out? Maybe something your peers have said?"

The former tech producer paused for a moment, but instead shrugged his shoulder non-nonchalantly and shook his head. Lane put down the pen and let out a breath as he looked at the student, "Freddie if you're expecting honesty from me then I would appreciate the same kind of honesty in return. I understand if you're not willing to share your feelings, but just tell me that instead of shrugging it off. My job here is to help."

Freddie eyed him for a moment with a slight hint of annoyance and sighed, "Fine... Well our friends were all pretty hell-bent on wanting us to know the relationship Jade and I have doesn't change anything. I'm still Freddie and she's still Jade." He had recalled them saying.

"But you think it does?"

"It's just a big change of direction in my life." He affirmed, "Moving to Los Angeles was a big deal and something I still at times believe is crazy. I think realizing that I have a half-sister in my life now is something I still might not have gotten used to yet. I mean yes I had come to L.A. to find Jade, but it was never initially my plan to stay here." The brunette boy admitted, "Now don't get me wrong, I think Jade is a great person and all, but I've spent the majority of my life believing I was an only child. So suddenly finding out that not only do I have a half-sister, but that we were left behind so that the man who spurned my mother and I could start a new family is... a lot to take in. I think what I'm trying to say is I don't think we can still be _just_ Freddie and Jade when so much has changed in our lives."

"I'm sorry to hear about that Freddie." Lane sympathized, referring to the boy's dad leaving him before his birth. It was something he was thankful to have never experienced himself with his parents. The guidance counselor was raised and cared for well by both his mother and father. It was something he was grateful for and why as a guidance counselor he took it upon himself sometimes to try and go above and beyond to help kids that didn't have the same luxury he did.

The boy looked down at his hands and mumbled, "It is what it is I guess."

There was brief pause for a moment as he looked at Freddie, "Have you ever tried getting in contact with your father?" The guidance counselor questioned, trying to get the boy to focus more on this bigger issue.

"With all due respect, I don't feel very comfortable nor have much desire to talk about that man." Freddie exclaimed, displeased at the fact Lane had referred to him as his father. It was the one thing in his life that nagged him since he was a little kid. Not just because the circumstances surrounding his departure were out of his control, but because he always wanted to know why? Why did he abandon his mom and him and was there something that led him to do so?

The counselor made note of the fact that Freddie acknowledged his father as 'that man'. There was clearly a lot of resentment Freddie had towards his father and rightfully so.

"Okay, no problem. How about we talk about the rumors going on instead?" Lane instead shifted the conversation towards. It was his understanding that talking about Freddie's father was currently off-limits and would require a much more delicate approach. He jotted down some notes as he awaited for Freddie to initiate the conversation.

"They're bullshit. What more is there to say?" The boy scoffed, crossing his arms again. He could feel his blood slowly boil at the thought of the teenage boy that had confronted him, Beck, and Andre at the gym the other day. It didn't take long after Sam's video message for the boy to do some digging and realize that Sam was the mastermind behind the rumors. He didn't really expect it to be anyone but her considering the blonde demon had always made it her goal to make his life as miserable as it could be.

"Freddie, I'm going to ask for you to please not use language like that here." Lane said somewhat sternly. It wasn't uncommon to hear students swear around the school, but Lane still liked maintaining a level of professional communication between him and his students.

"Whatever." The former tech producer muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you... So how do you feel about these rumors?" Lane asked, seeing the increasing annoyance form on the face of the brunette boy.

"I feel that they're bullshit." Freddie answered, knowing it wasn't the answer the man in front of him was looking for.

Lane opened his mouth to give him another warning, but decided not to. Instead he pressed a bit, "Do they make you feel angry?"

"Do you even have to ask that?" Freddie snapped, sitting up in his seat a little. The guidance counselor raised his hands slightly, pleading for the boy to cool down a bit. The boy knew Lane was just trying to get him to expand on his feelings, but the conversation they just had about his father leading into this only seemed to make matters worse.

"Look Freddie, I get that talking about this is probably reopening some wounds, but I'm just trying to help you -"

"Help me what." Freddie interrupted, "Help me vent out my anger? Is that what this is? Honestly, I think punching a hole in the wall of my hotel room so the couple next door can stop listening to music at 3 in the morning is a better way to vent! Or maybe wiping off any bit of smugness I missed on that asshole Ryder's face would do wonders for me in releasing my anger!"

"This isn't about relieving your anger, it's about helping you understand it." Lane explained, noticing the increasing annoyance on the boy's face.

"Why don't you help me by not prying into my life?" The boy exclaimed, raising his voice a little louder.

"Freddie I don't think that's fa- Fair?" The former tech producer cut him off, standing up, "Don't talk to me about what's fair! You didn't have to leave your mom behind just so you could escape your shitty life and friends and yet still lay in bed every night wondering if you made the right move. You don't have to bust your ass at the Pear store everyday to pay for food, gas, and a hotel room while still trying to study hard in school. You don't have to walk into this building every goddamn day and hear kids gossiping about you, trying to figure out every little detail of your life and knowing that no matter what you do they'll hate you anyway. Just because some she-demon decided to spread some crap online. So until you have to go through something like that stop trying to tell me what is and isn't fair!"

The former tech producer stood there breathing heavily as Lane just sat there looking at the boy partially in shock. The room was quiet for a few moments before Freddie choked out quietly to himself, yet still loud enough for Lane to hear, "What did I do wrong in my life to have to go through all of this? I was a good friend, a caring son. All I ever got in return was mud slung at my face and knives stabbed in my back." The guidance counselor was still taken aback at his outburst as the boy grabbed his bag and slowly opened the door leading into the hallway. He paused for a moment and turned around, looking at Lane, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Freddie." Lane whispered, "We can talk again whenever you're ready." Freddie simply gave a weak nod before exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Lane blew out a deep breath tossing his pen onto the notebook. Freddie was a unique kid compared to the other students he worked with at Hollywood Arts. He had faced a lot of for someone as young as he was and his internet fame made it even harder for him. It may not have been fair, but it was something he was going to have to accept and move forward from in his life if he ever wanted to be at peace. The boy had a long journey ahead of him, but Lane was confident that this first meeting despite its catastrophic ending was a good start.

 _Hollywood Arts - Asphalt Café_

The brunette boy sat alone on the bench, poking at the pieces of watermelon he had in his container. The anger he had this morning dispersed and he was still feeling rather guilty for snapping at Lane. He let out a sad chuckle to himself. Lately, guilty was all he had been feeling. He hated to admit that someone as evil as Sam Puckett could be right about anything, but yet she was. He did leave his mom behind in search of a better life. Sure she would tell him not to worry and that she understood his decision but it still bothered him. It left a sour taste in his mouth when he thought about the fact that the man his mother may have foolishly loved at one point did exactly the same thing to her.

"You seem like you're in a world of your own." Tori said, pulling the boy back to reality, "Is that watermelon?"

"Go ahead." The boy simply exclaimed, sliding the container towards her.

"Don't mind if do." She noted, taking his fork and eating a piece. Her eyes rolled back in delight something that managed to get a small smile out of Freddie despite his mood. The half-Latina girl swallowed the watermelon piece in her mouth before looking back at the boy, "So, the audition is in a few days. Are you excited?"

"I don't think I'm ready." The boy admitted, trying to shift his mood back to normal, "I keep thinking I'm going to forget my lines on stage and awkwardly stand there."

"No way." Tori disagreed, "You know the lines Freddie. We've gone over them so many times that I'm pretty sure you could write the scene backwards if you wanted."

"Maybe it's just nervousness." Freddie instead suggested. The girl nodded eating another piece of watermelon as he continued, "I just don't want to tank my first ever audition."

"This is just first time pre-performance anxiety." Tori stated, "Trust me, we've all had it." She tilted her head slightly as she noticed the boy still had doubt in his eyes, "Did I ever tell you about my first ever audition?"

The boy shook his head, "No, but I'm sure it was probably one of the most amazing things to happen at this school." He complimented.

The girl chuckled, "Thanks, but I'm not talking about here at Hollywood Arts. It was back when I used to go to Sherwood." Freddie sat up curiously in his seat as Tori continued, "Our school was holding this big play for the first time ever to end the school year. There was a lot of pressure riding on this play because our school wanted to prove to the board the drama department should be given the funds it needed to stay open the next year. Our drama teacher Mr. Brown was such a nice guy and always went out of his way to help us, so it was important for us all to really nail this play for him."

"I wish we had teachers like that at Ridgeway. All we got were some crazies you'd confuse for mental patients if you didn't know them." Freddie joked, letting out a small smirk.

The girl gave a grin of her own, "So anyway, we had our auditions in a week and it was all I focused on. There were times when I skipped meals and even going to some classes. I was so hell bent on not tanking the audition so that I could help Mr. Brown get the funds the department needed. Sure there may have been other students auditioning, but they weren't like the kids here at Hollywood Arts. I knew I had to take matters into my own hands and really lead this play to success because both Mr. Brown and the other drama students were counting on me. So the entire week I'm going over my lines 24/7. I'm saying them in the shower and mumbling them while brushing. Even when I'm in bed I'm thinking of those lines constantly. Finally, the day of my actual audition comes." The girl shook her head just at the memory, "It was an absolute train wreck. The moment I stepped onto the stage my mind went blank and it was like my body was paralyzed. I just stood there as they awaited for me to begin. I was so focused on nailing the audition and worrying about not failing that when it came time to perform that was all I could think about. Luckily, Mr. Brown was able to pull me aside and help me regain some of my bearings. I stepped back on stage and nailed the audition and got the lead in the play. We managed to impress the board enough that not only did they gave the drama department the funds they needed to stay open, but they also decided to expand the drama room."

"Tori Vega saving the day as usual."

The girl playfully rolled her eyes, "My point is that you should stop worrying about failing your audition. We both know you can do this, all you have to do is go out there and perform. When you step on the stage just take a deep breath and the rest will fall into place on its own." Freddie thought about what Tori said and gave her small smile as he nodded. The girl beamed a smile in return that gave him warmth inside as she began to continue eating his watermelon, "You know you really should try some of this before I finish it all."

The boy chuckled, "Yeah sure I'll have a piece." He went to reach for the fork, but the girl instead took poked a piece with the fork and fed the boy. He chewed in delight at sweetness of the watermelon. "You're right." He agreed, "This is really good. Is there anymore left?"

Tori looked down at the container as she chewed on a piece of watermelon. She swallowed and gave the boy a sheepish grin, "I kind of... ate the last piece."

The boy laughed as the girl's face turned red with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Freddie."

"It's okay, Tori. I can just grab some more when I stop by the supermarket again."

"Or maybe we can go grab some food after your audition? My treat." Tori offered. She felt a bit of apprehension asking him, almost as if it was like she asking him out on a date. That wasn't it though was it? It was just a friendly offer made by one friend to another.

She bit her bottom lip nervously before he flashed a grin that eased her mind, "Deal." Freddie simply said.

"A minute longer and I might have changed my mind, Benson." She teased.

"On second thought." He joked, as the girl pinched his arm playfully and guiltily letting her fingers trace down his forearm a bit as she let go. The boy sat for a moment and watched as the girl walked away from him. He could still feel the sensation her fingers left on his arm different than anything he had felt before. It was a feeling he hadn't felt since Carly, but unlike with his time with her, this moment felt more real.

"You coming? I need someone to walk me to science class. Ms. Hopkins creeps me out." She called out. He shook his head and chuckled as he got off the bench and looped his arm with the girl's as the pair walked back to class. Freddie wasn't sure how she did it, but anytime he felt down she was always able to lift up his spirits and make him feel that everything would be alright.

 _West Residence_

"No Marissa believe me I had no clue they were going to do that." The older West noted. She had spent the last few minutes on the phone speaking to Marissa Benson. Well it was more like listening to her speak. The Benson matriarch was worried about the same thing Ms. West had expressed her concern to Jade about, the children's father.

"I'm sure he will be fine." Ms. West assured, "He has Jade to support him if he needs it and their friends seem to have their backs as well. I must admit it honestly feels good to see the two becoming so close to each other."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Ms. Benson replied, "It's just I worry about Freddie you know. Even with the two of you, he's still all by himself in Los Angeles and with everything going on with him at the moment I just get worried. Plus that hotel he is staying at just makes me worry even more."

The sound of the doorbell ringing drew the West matriarch's attention. She assumed it was Jade returning from Beck's house. The girl had gone over to complete a history assignment they had due the next day.

"Listen Marissa, I'll give you a call tomorrow, okay?"

Ms. Benson sighed, "Sure, talk to you tomorrow Rachel." The older West cut the call as she put the phone down and walked towards the door. She opened the door and was surprised to see a young man standing on the front steps.

"Freddie?" Ms. West asked, instantly seeing the similarity in his facial features to that of his father. It actually worried her for a second that she may have been reliving some kind of weird flashback from when her ex-husband was younger.

"Hey Ms. West." The boy greeted politely.

"I'm sorry Freddie, but Jade isn't home at the moment." She explained, glancing down at her watch, "She went over to Beck's place to work on a history project, but I'm sure she'll be home in a couple of hours."

"I know she's not here." The boy assured, "I was actually hoping I would be able to speak with you."

"Oh." The West matriarch noted, raising her brow in curiosity, "Well please come in." Freddie thanked her as he stepped inside. The house had very modern decor throughout, something the nerdy side of him found aesthetically pleasing.

"Can I get you something to drink?" She asked, making her way towards the kitchen, "Coffee maybe?"

"Sure that would great." The boy replied, taking a seat on one of the island bar stools. He unstrapped his bag and placed it onto the ground next to him. He watched as his half-sibling's mother placed a small cup into the Brewrig machine and pushed the button. She turned back to look at the boy.

"So how are you finding Los Angeles?" The woman asked, leaning against the sink counter, "It must be a big change compared to Seattle."

"It's nice. A lot busier compared to Seattle though." He pointed out, "I'm still trying to find a nice smoothie place. That's probably one of the things back home that I miss the most."

"I can imagine how hard it must be trying to find a place to replace the Groovy Smoothies."

"You know about the Groovy Smoothies?" The boy asked surprised.

"You can't get smoothies like that anywhere else in the world. I have yet to find anything taste as good as a blueberry splat." She stated with a small smirk, crossing her arms. Freddie could see where Jade had gotten her signature smirk from.

"If you don't mind me asking, did you use to live in Seattle as well?"

"No, but I've gone to some company events over there. Jade refuses to believe that anything can taste better than her Jet Brew coffee." The boy let out a small chuckle knowing just how much Jade needed it to survive in the morning. The older West grabbed the warm cup of coffee now ready and handed it over to Freddie.

"Thanks." The boy noted, taking a sip of the warm drink. He gripped onto the mug tightly, letting his fingers absorb the warmth.

"So Freddie, you said that you were here to speak to me." Ms. West noted, trying to regain focus back onto the topic at hand.

"Yes of course. Well you see I have actually been looking around for a place in Los Angeles to rent. Beck had mentioned that you were a real estate agent and I was wondering if you would be able to help me find something. I doubt I'd be able to find anyone that knows more about rent prices and good neighborhoods better than you and I don't think I can afford an agent."

"Yes Jade had been telling me about your hotel situation." Ms. West pointed out. She made sure not to mention the fact that his mother absolutely hated the fact he was living in one, let alone one that was in a less than stellar area. The black haired woman figured he had enough on his plate already to have to think about his mom freaking out, "I'd be more than to happy to show you some good places. Just give me some time to do some research and scout a couple places beforehand."

"That would be great." He said happily, "I really appreciate this Ms. West. It is very kind of you."

"No problem at all Freddie." She replied. The brunette boy sipped on his coffee when the light above him in the kitchen began to flicker causing the older West to groan.

"Is the bulb dying?" Freddie asked, looking up.

The older West shook her head, "No, I was told the wiring inside was loose or something. I've been meaning to call someone to fix it, but I haven't really had any time to do it. The fall season is usually a busy time for people looking to buy or sell."

"I could take a look at if you'd like." The boy offered.

"That's awfully kind of you Freddie, but I'm sure its been a long day for you. I don't think you want to spend your free time standing on a ladder fixing a light fixture." Ms. West explained, kindly turning down his offer.

"No, it's okay Ms. West. It's no problem at all for me." The former tech producer insisted, "It's the least I can do for you agreeing to help me find a place to stay. We used to have lighting issues all the time in our - in the iCarly studio." He quickly corrected, something Ms. West noticed, but didn't press on, "I've managed to pick up a lot from the guys that would fix it. I was even able to fix a similar issue in our apartment back in Seattle."

"Alright sure but just please be careful." Ms. West agreed, knowing the boy would persist until she gave in. The boy set his coffee aside and asked Ms. West where the electrical panel and toolbox were so that he could get to work.

It took the boy about ten minutes, but he was able to re-tighten the wires and install the fixture back onto the ceiling. Ms. West watched half in surprise and half in anxiousness as the boy was on the ladder. She prayed he wouldn't get hurt, knowing how protective his mother was of him. Just as he promised however he finished the job quickly and without much trouble. He switched the power back on and flicked the light switch. To the black haired woman's pleasure, the light did not flicker once.

"That should do it." Freddie noted, folding the ladder and putting the tools back into the box.

"Thank goodness, that flickering light was driving me crazy. Thank you Freddie." The woman praised.

"It's no problem. Just let me know if you run into any other issues, I'd be happy to come by and take a look." He offered, "I can't promise I can fix everything, but it's better than having to schedule an appointment with someone all the time." He exclaimed, flashing a proud grin. If it was one thing he took pride in, it was helping people no matter if he got something out of it or not. It was the one thing he was certain he got from his mother. Ms. West couldn't help but admire the kid in front of her. For a boy who grew up without a father figure, Freddie was a generous and respectful young man. She knew when it came to qualities like that, there was only so much a parent could do to raise their child to be that way. This was just who he was, not because he was told to be, but because he wanted to be.

"I should probably head back to the hotel." The boy noted, feeling some dread knowing he would leaving such a wonderful home and go back to a place he had grown to not stand anymore, "Thank you for the coffee and thanks again your help Ms. West."

The older West felt bad knowing the boy was going to be heading back to the hotel to probably munch on microwaved food for dinner. "Freddie." She called out to the boy who stood by the front door.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to maybe stay for dinner?... I'm not sure if you like Chinese but you're more than welcome to stay."

"I don't want to impose- Nonsense." She interrupted, "I'm sure Jade would be thrilled to have you over. I would also love to get to know you more."

The boy let out a wide smile and nodded, "Sure, I would love to."

"Excellent." The black haired woman exclaimed as she clapped, "Now tell me something. Is Jade's acting teacher really as strange as I've heard? Jade's told me some pretty crazy stories and I don't know whether she's telling the truth or I should be looking to place her in creative writing classes."

"Believe me you have no idea." The boy stated suppressing a laugh, sparking greater intrigue from the woman, "Like just the other day he came into class after drinking a bad coconut..."

 _Shay Residence_

The blonde stepped into Bushwell Plaza after a pretty rough day at school. Carly refused to even acknowledge that she was there at school. Even during lunch just as she decided she was going to corner the girl and force her to talk, Carly instead purposely started a conversation with Wendy. She was making her way to the meat shop nearby after school when she found herself stepping inside the apartment complex. Maybe it was out of habit or maybe because it felt weird knowing she wasn't welcome inside anymore. She forced herself to believe the former as she made her all the way up, until she was in the hallway between the Shay and Benson apartments. She stood in front of the Shay's door unsure of what to do. Her hand was closed in a fist as she pondered knocking on the door. Sam then remembered that Carly was not at home at this time as she was always tutoring some kid a few blocks away. The brunette wasn't even paid much, but Sam knew Carly wanted to just help the little girl pass her science class so her parents would take her to see Girly Cow.

 _"I don't know, I just see some of her in me." She remembered Carly saying when she exclaimed that she shouldn't be wasting her time given the crummy pay, "Her parents are going to take her to see Girly Cow on ice in Florida if she passes her science class."_

 _"So what? I heard it isn't even good."_

 _"That's not the only reason why I want to help her." The brunette answered, "She says her parents are always busy with work and they don't really spend a lot of time together. Her dad is always traveling for business and her mom is too busy trying to keep up with work and house chores to be able to spend time with her. I don't want to see someone miss out on an opportunity to be with both of their parents." Her face fell slightly as she whispered, "I know I would have done anything to spend more time with my mom and dad... I really miss her Sam." The brunette web hostess didn't have to say more as the blonde already began to hold her in her arms as she sobbed lightly._

Carly's tutoring seemed to work as the girl was currently doing extremely well in her science. So well that her parents decided to book the tickets in advance to surprise her. Carly even managed to convince them to just make it a vacation after speaking to them about what her daughter had said about not spending enough time with them. She told them the story with her dad and how since she was little she wished he could spend more time with her. It was enough for them to agree with the web hostess. The brunette knew the little girl was going to be bouncing off the walls in excitement and joy when they would tell her.

"Sam?" Spencer called out, pulling the girl out of her flashback. She turned around to see Spencer standing in the hallway behind her. He had a smoothie in his hand as he gave the girl a confused look.

"What are you doing here standing outside?" He asked, grabbing the keys from his pocket, "I figured if you were here you'd already be inside raiding our fridge for ham."

"I guess Carly hadn't told him yet." She thought to herself before answering calmly, "Yeah, I was actually in the neighborhood and figured I'd stop by. You actually just came a few seconds after I did."

"Oh... Well do you want to come inside?" He offered, opening the door. The girl nodded and stepped inside despite knowing she wasn't welcomed inside by her best friend. The artist tossed his keys onto the island counter and plopped onto the couch turning on the television, "Carly isn't supposed to be home for a while. She's over at the Matthews tutoring Brooke."

"Yeah I know." The blonde quietly said, placing her bag on the ground and sitting down on the couch next to Spencer. The shaggy haired man was too engrossed on the screen to notice the unusually dull behavior of the girl. It was a common sight around this time that Sam would be tearing the apartment apart looking for the TV remote while she had a chicken leg in her mouth. Carly would point out how it was probably in the fridge where she left it. The blonde would grab it and turn on the TV as Spencer would run out excited to watch the Boat channel. The girls would deny his request and he would be sitting with his arms crossed, annoyed he couldn't watch the Boat channel as Carly would bring the three of them iced teas that had a little umbrella in the glass. They would then sit and watch America Sings. The trio would proceed to mock the terrible auditions while Spencer would cover his ears from the deafening fan girl screams of Carly and Sam when a random boy band would rock the stage.

"So I was thinking about a new character for the next iCarly episode." Spencer exclaimed excitedly, once again pulling the girl back to Earth. He actually came up with the idea on his way back from the Groovy Smoothies. The blonde involuntarily winced at the sound of the show's name, knowing it was probably not going to be around anymore or at least for a long time. It felt weird. The show had become her life and was really the only thing she was actually proud of in her life. She would never admit it, but it was the only thing that kept her from thinking about the future and where she saw herself. Even though she knew iCarly would have come to an end at some point, she knew she would at least have her best friend to be there. It scared her now to think about where she would be in the future without Carly. It scared her even more to see her mother's life dwindle down into nothing but flings with strange men and alcohol which really made her worry she would become just like her. Was that all she had to look forward to in life? She hated to admit it but a lot of it was her own fault. Barely passing school and racking up detentions and suspensions, she had dug herself a hole that the blonde wasn't sure she could pull herself out of.

"Earth to Sam. Sam, do you copy?" Spencer called out, waving his hands in front of the girl. She shook her head of her thoughts to see Spencer now giving her a concerned look.

"You okay kid?" He asked, furrowing his brows, "You've been kind of zoned out there for some time. I guess a car tire with bolts for a mustache named Mr. Rubberto isn't such a great idea."

"No it's not that Spencer." The blonde reassured, "I just have a lot on my mind is all."

Spencer nodded his head, "Well I mean I'm not really the best person for girl to girl talks, but you can talk to me if you want."

"Actually I think I'm going to go up to the studio for a bit if you don't mind." She instead noted, getting up and grabbing her bag, "I just remembered I left one of my hoodies up there the last show. That's actually one of the reasons I came by in the first place."

"Okay." Spencer slowly said, letting out a slightly defeated breath. He knew there was more to the blonde's story than she was obviously letting on, but he didn't want to irritate the girl. Sam was already halfway up the stairs when she heard his defeated response, feeling rather bad for shutting down his offer to help and lying to him. There was no hoodie in the iCarly studio, she just wanted to step inside the room again. The blonde stepped in front of the studio door and slowly opened it. She stepped inside and switched on the light, bringing the studio to life. She looked over at the bean bags situated near the small steps where they planned future iCarly episodes. The girl made her way over to the car prop that was in the corner of the room and slid her hand across the smooth hood. As great as it was standing in the iCarly studio, it didn't have the same feeling as last time. The magic that was once in this very room had vanished. The girl let out a small sigh as she unzipped the large pocket of her backpack. She reached inside and pulled out a familiar blue remote. Her hands trembled as she held the object out. Her fingers pressed the 'cheer' button and her heart sank.

 _"I'm Carly."_

 _"I'm Sam."_

 _"And this is iCarly!"_

The flashbacks flooded the room and her emotions took over as she began to let out some tears. She dropped the remote, sending it crashing to the ground and accidentally projecting the "aw" sound as she leaned against the hood of the car and slid down onto the ground. Her eyes continued to well with tears as she sat on the cold studio floor. It was all her fault. Losing Carly, iCarly and maybe even the way her mom was. She hated to have to think it, but she knew Carly and even Freddie to an extent tolerated her much more than others would. Heck if the pair were anything like her, they probably would have already given her a broken nose for pulling the stuff she did. The drunken stupor she was in when she video called Freddie made things even worse on top of her plan that may have been successful in its objective, but poor in its results for the girl.

"Sam!" A voice shouted, making her pull her head up. Sam's eyes slightly bulged open in panic when she heard the footsteps of Spencer running up the stairs. She quickly got up and dusted off her clothes. She even managed to wipe some of the lingering tears off her face just as Spencer busted in through the door. He noticed her eyes slightly red and the blue remote on the ground nearby as he asked, "Are you - Yeah I'm fine Spencer." She hastily pointed out, "What is it? You sounded like you had seen a ghost."

He paused for a moment knowing he was out of the loop on something that had transpired with Sam, but he had more pressing matters to deal with, "I just got a call from Mrs. Matthews. Carly didn't show up today to tutor Brooke."

"But I thought you said that was where she was going." Sam explained, confused before realization hit her, "Oh no."

"What?" Spencer asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"L.A." The girl just choked out.

"L.A.?" The artist repeated unsure if he heard her correctly, "What do you mean - Is she going to Los Angeles?"

Sam couldn't muster words and just let out a small nod. Spencer looked at the ground and pinched his nose in frustration, "Please tell me you did not know anything about this Sam?" He muttered, glancing back at the girl who wore a nervous look.

"Look, she told me, but I didn't know she was going today." She started, softly not used to seeing such emotion in him, "All she said to me was that she was going to L.A. to fix - find Freddie." The girl quickly corrected.

"Fix what?" He cut off.

"It's nothing, that's not important."

"No!" The older Shay raised his voice, "It's not nothing Sam. It obviously is important. I brushed it off before but you have been cagey with me since I saw you standing outside our apartment. Then I find you up here with puffed up eyes and dried tear stains on your face. Tell me what the hell is going on and what is had to with Carly going to Los Angeles?" Spencer couldn't help but worry not only about Carly traveling alone to Los Angeles, but also because of the fact she was going to a place where she was not welcomed by the people that lived there, Freddie being one of those people.

The blonde swallowed slowly looking at the awaiting eyes of Spencer. Her legs trembled a bit as if they were made of spaghetti. She felt the numbness spread throughout her body at an alarming rate, "Okay, Spencer. I'll tell you the truth, but you might want to take a seat."

Spencer raised his eyebrow before taking a seat on the beanbag chair letting out a poof sound. It was something that normally would have made the pair crack up, but Sam knew Carly's brother was in no joking mood at the moment. The girl slowly followed suit, taking a seat on the beanbag next to him, but making sure it was at least arm length's away from him out of fear of his reaction.

"So tell me." The artist pressed.

The girl inhaled a sharp breath as she began to recount the tale, starting with her plan.

 _West Residence_

"You should have seen her Freddie. Jade was standing in the middle of the living room covered in mud." Ms. West recalled earning a laugh from the boy and an embarrassed expression from her daughter, "She told me she was looking for dinosaur bones in our backyard."

"Jade West the paleontologist. Who would've thought?" Freddie exclaimed looking at his half-sister who stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"It didn't really surprise me all that much to be honest. Jade loved exploring. She always curious about everything."

"It's funny. My mom would tell me the same thing." The brunette boy pointed out, "I actually sat in my bedroom closet once as a kid. I had seen some movie and I thought that if I stayed in there long enough it would open some magical portal to another world. I had even set up my own little fort inside."

"I guess you and Jade really are cut from the same cloth." Jade's mother agreed as a comfortable silence followed the ensuing giggles.

Freddie couldn't help but sit back in his chair and smile. It felt nice having company for a change after having been stuck in his hotel room alone for dinner for so long. Ms. West was a very kind and understanding lady and it didn't take much for Freddie to know that she would go to whatever lengths to protect her daughter and keep her happy, something he truly admired. It kind of made him feel a bit guilty again for leaving his mom back home and getting upset whenever she would give him tick baths or clean his ears while he was sleeping. The boy softly chuckled realizing how crazy it was that he actually missed all the weird things his mom forced him to do. If you had asked him back then he would've thought she was overbearing and a bit too overprotective of him, but after being away from her for so long it didn't feel that way. In fact, she had grown to become very understanding and acknowledged that the boy was maturing and was smart enough to look after himself. Like all mothers do, she still said she would be on the first flight out if he needed her. She even tried sending him money a few times, something the boy politely declined. It wasn't because he didn't need the money, but because he didn't want to put any additional burden on her by making her pay for his decision to start a new life somewhere else.

On the other side of the table, Ms. West and Jade both looked at the boy across from them and were thinking some things of their own. Jade on the one hand was feeling a sense of wholeness in herself that she never quite experienced before. Sure there were the lingering ideas about the lack of a father in her life, but being in a room with her mother and half-brother was the most family she had been with in quite some time. Not that some of her uncles, aunts, and cousins weren't family, but they just didn't give understand her the same way the two people in the room with her did. That wasn't to take away anything from Beck. Since that day on the beach, the pair had become even closer than ever and she found it difficult to even imagine a life in which he wasn't there. However there was still a level of difference between him and Freddie. Like her mom, Freddie was an extremely understanding and patient person that wouldn't get mad at her even when she deserved it at times. Instead he'd try to find out if something was going on in her life and if there was anything he could to fix it. Beck was similar, but despite everything there was still times where he'd show signs of annoyance and impatience with Jade. Maybe it was unfair to compare the two, considering that the two boys had gone through extremely different lives. Freddie had probably faced enough hardships in his life that anything she did seemed minor to him in comparison which is why he didn't get bothered by her. Nonetheless she loved Beck and cared deeply for Freddie and was happy that both of them were in her life.

Ms. West on the other hand couldn't help but look at her daughter and the girl's half-brother who sat facing her. It was really an emotional moment for the West matriarch who had believed that her daughter would live the rest of her life not knowing her mother had kept such a big secret from her. She knew that if it had ever come out, it would absolutely crush Jade and put a major strain on their relationship. She admired Freddie's bravery to take matters into his own hands and find Jade all while leaving his old life behind. Granted, the woman did not know the full story of his life in Seattle apart from what Ms. Benson had mentioned over their many phone conversations, but she knew it was a bold thing of him to do to put himself out there and be so exposed, something both her and Ms. Benson were afraid of doing. Her daughter luckily was still thankfully understanding of her not telling her about Freddie, although the woman was sure a lot of it had to do with the fact the girl was too excited at the fact to learn she had an older brother to care. It was something Jade was always quite vocal about. The girl knew it probably wasn't feasible for her mom to have another kid, but Ms. West was glad she was able to get her wish in some form. Her head turned back to the former tech producer. He was a very genuine kid. If today and especially this dinner showed her anything, it was that Freddie was exactly the kind of person Jade needed to have in her life. Someone she was sure would not only have her daughter's back and keep her out of trouble, but help show her the joy of having someone aside from her that she could truly call family.

"Well this was honestly a great dinner, but I think I should really be getting going. It's getting pretty late and I'm sure you both are tired." The boy finally noted, "I can stay and help clean up if you need me to though."

He let out a soft involuntary yawn causing the West girls to chuckle, "No, don't worry about that Freddie. We can handle it." Ms. West waved off, "It was great having you here today. Hopefully you can come by more often."

"It would be my pleasure." He noted, looking at his half-sister, "Walk me to the door?"

The girl nodded as she walked alongside the boy with Ms. West watching from further behind.

"So that must have been pretty fun." Jade pointed out, "Hearing all those embarrassing stories. I'm sure you'll be using them against me for a long time."

"Probably." The boy joked as the girl scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully. The pair stopped at the front door as Freddie glanced at the girl, "You know I don't think I remember ever having dinner with a girl and her mom before. It was surprisingly more easier than I would imagine."

"Yeah, tell that to Beck." The girl chuckled, remembering the awkwardness that ensued the first time he stopped by for dinner. Ms. West and him were on much better terms now, but Jade just remembered wanting to crawl into bed and sleep the awkwardness away that night.

"Don't worry, I'm sure when you and Tori start dating you'll have fun talking to Detective Vega about how much you looove Tori." The girl teased.

The boy gave a small smile before his face fell slightly thinking back to what Sam said. He looked at the girl who noticed his change of expression and whispered, "Sam said Carly loves me."

"What?" The girl asked in surprise, partially from the fact that Freddie heard from Sam, "Are you sure this isn't one of their tactics to make you feel guilty for leaving?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I honestly have no idea. Apparently she was too scared to ever tell me so Sam did it instead. It's just a lot to process." It was something he had wanted to hear ever since he knew the girl across the hall. Now he finally heard it, not from her mouth, but his worst enemy. The conflicting thoughts and feelings from his head and heart were making him go crazy. He hated the fact that Sam told him. He had accepted when he came to L.A. that Carly would and had never loved him. If what Sam said was true, it undid everything he once thought.

Jade gave her brother a comforting hug, something the West matriarch noticed with a small smile on her face.

"It'll be okay, Freddie. I promise." She whispered soothingly. The pair separated from their hug and the boy gave a nod to Ms. West and mumbled a thank you to Jade as he stepped outside. The pale brunette watched as the boy backed off the driveway and drove off into the night leaving her to process herself the revelation he had just dropped on her.

 _Meanwhile..._

The brunette girl stared out into the starry night feeling the cold air blow on her skin. It was a quiet night in Seattle as she sat on the bench clutching her heavy school bag. It wouldn't be too long now for her to be face to face with the boy she loved. The word 'love' still gave her goosebumps on her arms whenever she thought about it. It wasn't until the day Sam pointed it out to her that she actually acknowledged it openly. A part of her wondered how far back these feelings stretched, but it was too painful at the moment for her to relive and analyze the interactions she had with the boy in the past. She kicked herself for being stubborn by never admitting her feelings and spurning every move Freddie had made on her. Maybe if she had told the boy how she felt he would have still been in Seattle and everything would have been normal and probably even better with them dating.

"Freddie and I dating?" The girl thought. She let out a small disbelieving chuckle at the fact that she never really thought much about the idea. Aside from the taco truck incident and the whole hero worship fiasco, the pair didn't really have a ton of intimate moments. That was probably her fault for the most part for always dating the new flavor of week and also partially Sam's because she always seemed to be around when Freddie was, so the two were barely ever alone. There was that one time when she swore she heard him ask if it was too late for her to love him, but the girl chalked it off as just hearing things.

The sound of a loud hiss drew the girl's focus onto the road in front of her as she saw a bus come up next to the curb and pull to a complete stop. The doors opened and the girl stood in place as other patrons around her began to step inside and take their seats. The girl clutched her ticket tightly in one hand and her school bag full of clothes and essentials in the other. She slowly stepped onto the bus and handed the driver her ticket as she walked towards the back and took a window seat in an empty row. Normally, this would be the point where Sam would tell her everything was going to be fine and that she had her back, but the seat next to hers would remain empty this time around. The girl did feel kind of bad about her fight with Sam and ignoring her, but she knew it was the best thing for the two of them to apart for a while. Another thought that nagged her was leaving without telling Spencer anything and unfairly making him worry about her whereabouts. Her brother had left several calls and texts, but she didn't want to tell him anything until she was sure he couldn't stop her. With a quick swipe to unlock her phone, she shot him a text letting him know she was fine before placing her phone on silent. The doors of the bus closed a few minutes later as Carly looked out the window as Seattle began to fade away slowly into the distance. She dug into her bag to pull out her headphones. The girl put the buds in her ears and selected her favorite song on her Pearpod. She closed her eyes letting the music take her away as she awaited her destination.

 _I can be fragile  
I can break in two  
_ _But I know I'll be swept up by you_

 _"Don't you think we both deserve one nice dance, with someone we don't hate?"_

 _And if I can get frightened_  
 _You'll always be a_ _place of quiet to calm me  
And if you feel my love, just let it show_  
 _And if you want my heart, just me know_

 _"Absolutely."_

 _'Cause you are meant for me._

 **AN: And that's the end of the chapter. Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. This was a pretty Freddie heavy chapter and we even got to see a lot more of Sam compared to previous chapters. This is definitely a calm before the storm type chapter if I do say so myself.  
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 **devante padilla 9: Thanks for your review. I think this story allows a different iCarly/Victorious universe to be explored and one that can really change a lot not only in terms of plot, but the way characters interact with each other. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and enjoy the coming ones even more.**

 **RyanMK666: Thanks for your review. You're definitely right. A rumor like this is not something that will go away easily. Obviously based on the ending Carly is going to try and fix it anyway, but it's going to take a lot more than that. Sam's intentions for spreading the rumors may have seemed somewhat innocent in her eyes as she was trying to help her best friend, but the price she paid was the very person she did it all for. However, as evil as Sam may be at the moment, I think she might still be redeemable. Obviously it will take way more than apologies, but I think she may be ready to realize that what she did was wrong and her downward spiral is her fault. As much as you love her or hate her, Sam like Freddie is still a big part of Carly's life and vice versa. Both girls will feel that a lot more in the coming chapters. Not saying she's going to take the right path, but it'll be an interesting battle she will undergo.  
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 **Remy-Chan 27516: Thanks for your review. Honestly, Freddie and Jade are two characters that kind of just write themselves. They are so complex and have so many layers to them that it makes it easy to really explore them and their relationship each chapter. I try not to force anything and just see where the story takes them.  
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 **OneHorseShay: Thanks for your review. Yeah it really was just out of nowhere diving back into this story after so long. I had re-read it and found myself just typing out chapter 6 without a hitch like I never even took a hiatus. I think Ms. West is still at the point of getting to know Freddie personally. Sure she has heard about him from his mom and even Jade, but the two haven't really talked aside from this chapter. Their interactions this chapter were a step in the right direction and Freddie's living situation will definitely be resolved in a few chapters. With regards to Sam, yeah she really got away with a lot since she wasn't speaking with Freddie face to face. I'm sure if he had accepted the call, he probably would have said exactly what you wrote and maybe even worse.**

 **ajk2: Thanks for your review. I think it wasn't really a matter of her realizing it so much as her accepting it. I believe that Carly always understood that what Sam was doing to Freddie was wrong, but she never wanted to accept the fact that it wasn't anything more than two frenemies going at it similar to Tori and Jade. Maybe she was scared that if she did something about it, it would have shifted the balance in the trio's relationship. As it turns out though, her doing nothing shifted the balance between them all a lot more.  
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 **calvinhobbesliker: Thanks for your review. Freddie will definitely be facing a lot more issues in the coming chapters, with one labelled as 'Carly Shay' being a big one. Sam paid the ultimate price this time in losing Carly and iCarly. Unlike before, this time she isn't going to be able to talk her way out of it and is going to have to do a lot to get back onto decent terms with Carly. The rumors are going to be tough to get past, but like you said he has a much better support system than he did in Seattle. And yes Freddie and Jade's father has only been mentioned in conversation so far, but based on his actions and the stories about him, I think you're right that he is a lot more dangerous than it seems.  
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 **Once again thank you all for your support for this story and I will be back again with chapter 8. Stay tuned.**


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